Devil Reborn
by Shirou Fujimura
Summary: DEVIL REBORN REDUX IS NOW UP!
1. OC Character Profile

**I've decided I should do this since most of the other great DxD writers do this...most of the time. So here is Shirou's character sheet~! Note: This will be subjected to change as the story continues. I have to update it every now and then.**

**Last Updated: 9/7/14**

Name: Shirou Fujimura-Satan

Aliases: Demon King of Kuoh, Shi-chan (by Irina), Master (by Suu and Sakura), Pervy Senpai (Koneko when Shirou does something somewhat perverted), Shirou/Fujimura-sama (by various fan girls), Red-Eyed Beast, Delinquent King, Satan's Descendant, Shirou-nii (by Kiyoshi)

Age: 16

Gender: Male

Skin: White

Appearance: Shirou has white and slightly spiky hair and blue eyes (which turn red due to his Satan blood becoming active when enraged). He has average height and is somewhat muscular due to him often training to get stronger. He is usually wearing the male student uniform of Kuoh Academy.

Race: Reincarnated Devil, (Former) Human/Devil Hybrid

Affiliation: Devils ([Pawn] of Rias Gremory)

Natural Abilities: Hand-to-Hand combat experience, Cooking, Powerful Killing Intent, Charisma, Enhanced strength, magic, and stamina due to Satan blood.

Hobbies: Fighting, Keeping order, Playing H-Games, Devil Jobs

Likes: Fighting strong people, Girls, Cooking, Training, Cute things (He'll deny it), His friends

Dislikes: Innocent people being hurt, Makoto's cooking, Being weak, Perverts (despite being somewhat perverted himself)

Personality: Shirou is initially rude and abrasive towards most people, including Kiryuu, Motohama, and Matsuda, the only friends he had while he was human (usually being slightly warmer towards them than other people). He is quick to anger depending on the situation. He is prideful, but not enough that he doesn't know when to forgive or apologize. But he is usually stubborn. He takes on the appearance of a stereotypical delinquent.

This, however, is not the true case. Shirou is actually a kind person, but tended to have a cynical view towards the kindness of others as he is always either hated or feared. He is unused to genuine kindness and affection from people other than his sister, Makoto. He was something of a beaten dog, initially lashing out at the world that rejected him and even those who showed him kindness. Shirou is actually afraid of letting people get close, fearing that they want to use him or betray him.

This changes when he becomes Rias Gremory's Pawn. While initially distrusting and even hostile towards the Gremory group, their kindness and genuine care for his well-being causes him to accept them as his friends. From this point forward, Shirou shows a happier side to himself, being much kinder and trusting than he had been before. He more openly shows a softer and more compassionate side to everyone, but is prone to "tsundere moments" when embarrassed. He is also sentimental, being very protective of a small Mini-Devil-shaped charm that was given to him by his sister. Overall, he still retains a rough exterior when it comes to serious subjects but always possesses a strong loyalty to Rias.

One thing that hasn't changed thus far is his undying will and refusal to give up no matter the situation. His favorite phrase is "You don't fail when you run out of options. You fail only once you've given up."

Shirou is somewhat of a pervert, possessing a mixed posterior fetish which conflicts with his equal love for breasts. He would be much more active in pursuing girls if it wasn't for his gentlemanly side that prevents him from giving into his male instincts as to avoid hurting anyone. His mental conflict gave birth to "Mini-Devil Shirou", a small chibi Devil version of himself that sometimes appears on Shirou's shoulder, trying to convince him to partake in perverted escapades.

In battle, Shirou is a man of honor and despises those who use dirty tactics. He also has a powerful sense of camaraderie with his allies.

History: Not much is known of Shirou's past other than the fact that he was born with the Will of Satan in his soul and that his mother had him engaged to Irina Shidou when he was still young.

At some point when Shirou was little, his father, Lucius Satan, murdered his other, Miyako Fujimura, in cold blood for reasons that are not yet known. After the act, Shirou almost died in the aftermath but was rescued by his older half-sister, Makoto, who would later become Shirou's guardian and protector for the next several years of his life.

Relationships:

Ancestor (Great Grandfather)- Satan (Deceased)

Father- Lucius Satan (Alive)

Mother- Miyako Fujimura (Deceased)

Half-Sister (They share only a father)- Makoto Fujimura (Alive)

Fiancee- Irina Shidou (Alive)

Familiars:

-Sakura - A giant, violet Great Snake. Great Snakes are incredibly mysterious, but Sakura chose Shirou due to a contract formed between Shirou's ancestor, Satan, and the ancestor of the Great Snakes, Arystar. Sakura and Shirou were born on the same night and a fragment of Shirou's soul was bound to Sakura's, effectively making her a part of him. Sakura has the ability to shapeshift into a human form, taking a shape identical to that of Fate/Stay Night Sakura Matou.

-Suu - A humanoid slime creature. As a slime, Suu is one of the rare specimens who feed off of a man's 'DNA' to evolve into a more intelligent form. She is incredibly loyal to Shirou and possesses a seemingly childish demeanor. She possesses the acidic abilities to dissolve and digest food.

Magic: Familiar summoning, Basic elemental spells

Techniques:

Dragon Shot - Shirou unleashes a powerful beam of energy capable of destroying an entire mountain.

-Blue Dragon Shot - An initially mysterious variation of Shirou's normal red Dragon Shot. It is apparently more powerful than Shirou's original Dragon Shot that made its first appearance during the [Rating Game] between Rias and Riser's Peerages. The reason for this new Dragon Shot is that after the seal on Shirou's memories and powers were partially broken, his powers from his Satan blood increased the power and changed the color of Shirou's normal Dragon Shot.

Combined Attacks:

\- With Kiba: Blade Revolution- Shirou synchronizes the 'wavelength' of his and Kiba's Sacred Gears and the two create a powerful field of blades to pierce any who surround them. Kiba's blades pierce those on the ground while Shirou's blades shoot out of the ground to hit airborne enemies.

Equipment/Powers:

Sacred Gear: Blade Genesis- A Sacred Gear that was once [Boosted Gear], evolved by the power of Shirou's strong will. It still possesses the power of that of a Longinus and possesses the sealed spirit of the Welsh Dragon, Ddraig.

-Blade Creation - Using Blade Genesis, Shirou is able to create blades of various power and sizes. If it possesses any kind of bladed edge, then Shirou is able to create it. It is also possible for Shirou to create copies of famous swords whose designs appear to be engraved in Blade Genesis, allowing Shirou to visualize and create them. Blade Genesis is also able to create Holy Swords which Shirou wasn't able to wield until recently when Shirou gained his Dragon arm.

-Reinforcement - Blade Genesis also allows Shirou to utilize the very concept of [Reinforcement]. It 'reinforces' anything as long as it isn't vague. The ability can 'reinforce' anything: the sharpness of a blade, the nourishment of food, and, in the case of a living creature, physical physical and magical strength as well as durability.

-Balance Breaker (Incomplete): Blade Revelation - Shirou manifests the power of the Welsh Dragon a armor, taking the form of armor and a red overcoat that resembles that of the armor worn by Fate/Stay Night Counter Guardian EMIYA. Shirou's sword creation abilities increase, allowing him to manifest and maintain even more swords than before at once. His speed, strength, magic, and defense increase while his Balance Breaker is active.

Harem: Rias, Akeno, Koneko, Asia, Sakura, Suu, Raynare/Yuuma, Kalawarner, Irina, Xenovia, Yumi (femKiba), Serafall, Gabriel (WIP)


	2. Chapter 1: The Demon King of Kuoh

**And here we go with my first real attempt at DxD! I've spent quite a bit of time going through ideas, and this is finally what I decided on! Thank Triplesquidge for having the patience of FREAKIN BUDDHA when he helped me create this! And be sure to read some of his AWESOME DxD stories while you're at it! **

**Please enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Highschool DxD or anything related to it. All that stuff goes to their respective owners. I. Own. NOTHING. **

**Chapter 1:**

**The Demon King of Kuoh  
**

"Shirou-kun~!" Sang a familiar and cheerful voice. "Time to wake up, Shirou-kun~!"

The young teenage boy rolled over in his sleep, his eyes twitching. "Mmmm...Five more minutes..."

The older woman, about 27/28, standing over him sighed. She had long, white hair and green eyes and currently wore a red, long-sleeved shirt along with a black dress as well as a frilly, pink apron that could either make or break the outfit depending on how you look at it. She sighed.

"Well I tried the easy way." She then raised her leg high up into the air. "Shirou...WAKE UP, LAZY ASS! MAKOTO SUPER DROP KICK" She brought her leg down right on the sleeping occupant of the bed. Judging from the gasping and sputtering (not to mention the groans of pain), her 'wake-up method' was effective.

A young teen shot upright with a look of outrage on his face. "What the Hell, Neesan!?"

Makoto Fujimura took a stance like a bowing martial artist. "Such is the fate of those who defy the great Mako-neesan's will." Makoto's expression changed to a smirk. "I did give you a chance to take the easy way. Your fault for not taking it."

"SO YOU DROP KICK ME!?" Shirou ran a hand through his spiky, silver hair, mumbling something.

Makoto gained a cat-like smile. "How else do I wake up a lazy ass like you?" Shirou clenched his fists and Makoto seemed to ready herself for what appeared to a fight that was about to break out between the two. "So you wish to challenge the superiority of your dear Mako-nee, do you, Shirou-kun?"

Their epic stare down went down for several seconds before Shirou sighed, unclenching his fists. "Goddammit, Neesan..."

Makoto pointed one finger into the air. "BWAHAHAHA! Mako-nee wins once more!" Shirou's sweat dropped.

_I wonder if she could be arrested for child abuse._

"Whatever floats your boat." He didn't even want to bother. "Now can you get out? I gotta get ready for class."

* * *

Shirou's POV...

I came downstairs, clean dressed in my Kuoh Academy uniform and still drying my hair with a towel.

While I desperately wanted to get Mako-nee back, I knew there was no beating her. Even when I won, I somehow lost. Don't ask how. Makoto just works like that.

Now that I was dressed in his uniform and not covered by a blanket, it was incredibly easy to see my spiky hair the same color as my sister's and my dark-blue eyes. I wasn't a CRAZY muscular 17-year-old, but I was rather in-shape for someone my age.

"Oh Shiroooou~!" Sang Mako-nee cheerfully. "I made breakfast~!" I paled considerably. There were only two things I feared in this world:

The first was Mako-nee when she gets pissed (HEY! YOU DON'T KNOW, MAN! YOU DON'T KNOW!).

The second was Mako-nee's cooking. Having to ingest such a meal was a fate worse than death.

Even from my position on the stairs I could smell the vomit-inducing stench of that..._substance_ Mako-nee calls food. I deeply considered running back up the stairs and try leaving through the window. I weighed my options.

My choice was taken away when I felt Makoto drag me by the collar. "Come on, Shirou! You gotta eat before you leave for school!"

I desperately struggled against Makoto's grasp. There was no way in Hell I was going to die like this! Before I could object, Makoto sat me down in the chair in front of the table. "You better eat a big breakfast before heading off. I don't feel like getting a call from your school saying you fell asleep in class because you ran out of energy."

The stench of death became even more intense as my neesan laid a plate of 'food' in front of me.

It was black and purple and there was a strange-colored smoke rising off of it. I wasn't quite sure what strange things Makoto put into that 'meal', but I knew that she hadn't killed it properly if I had to judge by the tentacles sticking out of the shapeless mush on the plate. The tentacles were still moving.

My pale skin turned a light shade of green. I tried to stand up, but Makoto simply forced me back into my seat. She picked up a spoon filled with that 'stuff' and lifted it up to my mouth.

"Now, does neesan have to spoon feed you like when we were little?"

I couldn't help but feel disturbed by the malicious expression on Makoto's face. I could feel the spirit of death creeping over my shoulder every moment that spoon full of substance move closer to my mouth.

I thought there would be no stopping my inevitable demise...until I caught sight of the clock.

I excitedly shouted out from relief while pointing at the clock on the wall. "Sorry, Mako-nee! I gotta get going!" Makoto turned away long enough for me to make my grand escape. Before she had a chance to move, I jumped out of my seat and burst into a sprint towards the door.

I didn't stop running until my house was completely out of sight.

* * *

It took a good fifteen minutes before I thought it was safe to stop running after my house was out of sight.

I sighed. Makoto meant well, but sometimes it feels like she's trying to kill me. If she wasn't my older sister, I would've taken it seriously. She was pretty much all I had left.

At some point when I was little, our parents died in some sort of accident, she said. I don't remember their faces or if I ever really knew them. It's just been me and Makoto for most of my life. She was old enough to be my mother if you squinted your eyes a little and if she sometimes acted as such...but I made sure that everyone who meets her knows otherwise...

I shuddered at the thought of what happened the last time someone called her my mother...That was not a fun day. Everyone had such bad concussions that they luckily didn't remember who gave them those concussions. It was one of the many reasons I chose not to misbehave while Makoto was around. She thought I was the weak, little brother I had been back when I was little...well, I was her brother, that much had remained the same...but weak?

Hell no.

I've had plenty of challenges in order to keep in physical condition.

"Hey, Fujimura!"

Speaking of challenges.

I turned to the person who shouted out my name.

He was just your regular street punk...surrounded by several similarly dressed thugs. Seriously, these guys needed to have some kind of law to keep such events from seeming so cliche. I sighed.

"You guys again? You're more persistent than people who stalk celebrities." I dug my hands into my pockets, a tired expression on my face.

"Shut up!" shouted one of them. "Because of you our boss is still in the hospital! You must be a dumbass if you think we're just gonna let you walk away after that!"

I shook my head. "Really? 'Boss'? You are such a typical thug. I don't really remember kicking your boss's ass, but then again, I suppose it's no surprise if he's as unoriginal as you guys are."

"Why you-?!"

"Jeez." I then began to pulled one of my hands out of my pockets to scratch the back of my head. "You're just full of common grunt phrases aren't you?" Apparently that had been the last straw because the next thing I knew, I have something that felt somewhat like a fist slam into the side of my face. I didn't even flinch or fall. I took every last bit of force that fist had...

And then I laughed.

"I'm impressed. That almost hurt a little." The guy who punched me backed away in surprise. I slowly turned my head back towards them, the smallest of bruises on my face. "Now let me repay you in full for that." I pulled my other hand out of my pocket. "Let me show you why I'm the [Demon King of Kuoh]!" The guy who punched me didn't have any time to raise his fists as I charged him. I brought my left fist around and smashed it right into the side of his face, knocking him out cold onto the ground.

Not too long after the arrogant ass hit the ground, the next thug rushed me with what appeared to be a bokken.

"Die! FUJIMURA!" He brought the sword down on me as I crouched in what appeared to be some kind of dodge. But just as he brought his sword down I swung my right arm forward with enough force to knock the sword into the air. I then followed up by delivering a kick right to his stomach, sending him flying further back than his cohort.

I clicked my tongue. I brushed my hair out from in front of my face. "You know, I question the logic of trying to take me on one at a time." I opened my other hand just in time to catch the bokken that fell from the air. My grin returned as I pointed my new wooden sword at them. "Who's next?" They had apparently wizened up because the remaining four immediately charged right at me all at once. "So you're learning, huh? I like it!" I intercepted their charge. The first one also had a bokken but clearly no idea how to use it. He swung left and right, but I bobbed and weaved through each of his strikes before swinging my leg around, smashing it into his side and then recovering and then bringing my bokken down on the following thug's head, shattering it into dozens of pieces. Both thugs went out like a light.

I zoomed forward and caught the next guy's fist, throwing my own fist forward right between his eyes, hitting his nose with a satisfying crunch that informed me I had broken it. I turned towards the next thug who had clearly realized how quickly the tides had turned. He stumbled backwards before falling flat on his ass. He raised his hands in panicked surrender.

"I-I'm sorry! I n-never wanted to get involved in the first place but these guys talked me into it! Pl-Please! Have mercy!" Comical tears rolled down the sides of his face. He then threw himself at my feet and began begging once more. "PLEASE HAVE MERCY ON ME!"

I backed away uncertainly. This was so embarrassing that I felt embarrassed FOR him. I then looked at the watch on my wrist before sighing. I turned and walked back down the alleyway, turning my back to the last conscious thugs. He didn't have much common sense however.

"DIE, FUJIMURA!" I then felt something hard slam against my skull. I jerked forward and almost considered falling over, but I simply stayed where I stood. I didn't react when a warm liquid began to roll down the front of my head, threatening to get into my eyes. I turned my head ever so slowly to the formerly surrendering thug who seemed to have realized he royally fucked up. His eyes seemed to shine with fear. "H-Holy shit! Y-You're eyes! They're blood-red!"

He was probably telling the truth. I've been told quite a few times while I was kicking ass on other occasions that when I got pissed off enough, my eyes seemed to change to a blood-red color. I had Makoto take me to the doctor once to see if I had something wrong with me, but apparently it was just their imagination...but I wasn't too sure.

Whatever the case, I turned my piercing gaze towards the poor bastard. "You ever have one of those moments where you realize you should just walk away but instead choose to wind up in one of those 'oh shit' moments? This is one of those moments."

He had less than a few seconds to say "Oh shit" before I brought my fist back around. He apparently had his jaw clenched because I could feel some of his teeth break as blood spewed out of his mouth. He went down like a rock.

I looked among all of the unconscious thugs...hmmm...now that I think about it, maybe it would be better to label them as delinquents then thugs. But considering I'm labelled as a delinquent too (cos I get into fights. I'm not too bad when it comes to academics), I feel like that would be the same as saying they are on the same level as me which was utter B.S..

I checked my watch again. "Damn. You guys are gonna make me late for school." I sighed before putting my hands back into my pocket, not paying much attention to the bruises on my knuckles. I really had learn to stop overdoing it. Or maybe those guys should just learn to give up. Seriously. I mean if it's not one group of delinquents it's another. Everyone wants a go at the [Demon King of Kuoh].

But there wasn't much time to spend on that thought. Still had to get to school or Makoto would murder me when I get home. I quickly wiped off the blood from my head (it wasn't that bad of an injury) and with a bit of running/sprinting, I managed to make it to school with time to spare.

As I arrived with several other students coming close to being late, I couldn't help but feel the eyes that were on me. I could almost practically imagine what they were whispering to one another.

"Is that Shirou Fujimura?"

"Yeah. He's pretty much the school delinquent, but he's also the strongest guy in school supposedly."

"No way! Kiba-sama is my strong knight! Don't you dare belittle him...but I will admit that Fujimura-kun is kinda hot."

"Oh God. Please tell me you don't have a things for bad boys. Your parents would kill you!"

The other person giggled. "Maybe~"

It came to my attention that the conversation I was overhearing was between two girls. Deciding to test whether or not I was hearing things, I turned in their direction and flashed the slightest of smiles.

I was answered by the sound of excited shrieks from both girls. Huh. So apparently Kiryuu wasn't joking about that thing with me having fans. *Cue mischievous/evil laugh. Oh the ways I could abuse this to fulfill my dream.

Eh not really. After those two stalkers I had to get a restraining order against that one time (at Makoto's insistence of course. I wasn't afraid of anybody), I've learned to watch myself and to refrain from interacting with 'enthusiastic' individuals, resulting in me being nearly friendless (don't get me wrong. I like girls, but I'd prefer to actually KNOW them rather than some random girl I don't really know. It's just the way I roll.). I don't date chicks with stalker potential and most of the guys in school hate me because I'm popular with girls. So yeah. Almost entirely friendless.

And so I just casually made my way to the first class of the day. People either didn't pay attention or those that did made sure to make way. While a fair portion of the girls in this school apparently had a thing for me, the others did the only natural thing and feared me. Not that I minded...

I waited until I was in my desk. Like a stereotypical delinquent or others who do not care for school, I chose the seat in the far back corner next to the window. I didn't even bother pretending to pay attention to what the teacher was saying. The moment the bell rang, my head was face-down on the desk with my eyes shut.

No better time to catch up on some Z's than in school after all. It's not that I think I'm smarter than everyone else. I'm hopelessly average when it came to academics...but it was all just so...so boring. Even the guys trying to take my title started to all look alike. It was actually kind of worse considering I didn't have anyone to pass the boredom with. I mean I didn't have many real friends...

N-Not that I can't make any! I could make a friend just like that! I just choose not to...

I sighed as I chose to drift off into slumber...

* * *

So there wasn't really anything of note that occurred in my dreams. Not a single time I took a nap even when we changed classrooms. Nobody really ever seemed to care that I slept, not even the teacher. Perhaps it was because I was a delinquent or perhaps because they thought I would break their arms if they tried to shake me awake.

I hadn't realized that the last class of the day was over yet. I probably could've slept until the next day and I wouldn't have noticed had it not been for the helpful (read: annoying) magazine that had been used to smack me upside the head until I was fully jarred into consciousness.

"Get up already!"

Of course, considering the fact to most NORMAL people at this school this would be like poking a sleeping lion, there was only one person who would be brave (or stupid) enough to believe they were on good enough terms with me to be spared my wrath.

I growled at the only woman who would dare to do such a thing. "WHAT THE HELL, KIRYUU!?"

The brown-haired girl hefted her trusty magazine over her shoulder, prepared to swing again should I attempt to return to blissful slumber. The sunlight reflected off her 'supposedly special glasses'.

"Well you clearly didn't plan on getting up anytime soon, so I was just helping you out." Aika Kiryuu gave me a thumbs up. "You're welcome."

I could feel my eye twitch. "Sometimes I wonder why I even bother with you." I could feel my annoyance welling up inside my chest.

"Because I could easily go about embarrassing you by naming the size of the you-know-what of every last guy in school."

I sighed. She probably would too. Unlike most girls, Kiryuu bore no shame in using her 'special glasses' to measure a man's manhood. She was one of the two people I liked to refer to as a 'Pervy Glasses Character'.

"Just...just go die, damn you."

"Oh, then who would you pass the time talking to?"

"Tch." I quickly turned away to the window on my other side.

"You were drooling a little in your sleep. Might wanna clean that off your face." I felt the side of my face and felt something moist to see she was right. I quickly wiped off the saliva with my sleeve.

"Thanks." I yawned a little as I watched people either clearing up their things, just standing around and talking, leaving the classroom, etc.

"So what do you plan to do now?"

Ah. That was the question. A good one in fact.

I stretched my arms as I stood from my desk. "Who knows? Maybe pick up milk on the way home, kick the ass of the usual dumbasses who think they stand a chance against me, maybe..." I trailed off.

It was almost amazing how these were the only things I could think of.

In all honesty, Aika Kiryuu was perhaps the only person who I spoke regularly enough with to consider a friend. Sure her ability to find the size of a male's manhood was somewhat creepy and could be considered sexual harassment, but she wasn't a bad person. Maybe brave (or quite possibly stupid) considering she was the only person willing enough to try and befriend me. I have to admit I am somewhat grateful for that.

Due to the fact she was the only girl I regularly associated with, there were more than a few rumors floating around that we were an item...they weren't entirely unfounded. We did at one point try dating but in the end we agreed we weren't meant to be after three or four dates.

See. People make break-ups sound so difficult and tragic but they're as easy as pie if you and your friend mutually agree to it. Also-Oh yeah. Kiryuu's still talking. I should probably pay attention.

"I asked if you were listening." She said again, snapping me back to reality. I pondered my answer.

"No." What? No point in lying and making things worse.

Kiryuu didn't say anything, perhaps knowing me well enough to know that I was not paying attention.

"What I said was I heard that you've been hanging out with the Perverted Duo? I didn't think you'd ever become a part of their group."

And just like that, what was left of my good mood was gone. "Let's get one thing straight: I do not like those two. They are leeches who tend to bug me from time to time, usually because of some bogus rumor about me and some girl they're perving on." Then just to make sure she understood my point, I added, "I. AM. NOT. FRIENDS. WITH. THEM. Do not lump me into the same group as them. I am nothing like them."

"But aren't you a pervert too?"

"A little bit, yes," I admitted. Hey. I'm a man. It's only natural to have some interest in the female body. So what if I keep a few porn magazines hidden under my bed, "but I'm not looking through peepholes to spy on the kendo team changing, now am I?"

"I don't think they'd mind either way if it was you," Kiryuu said this with a suggestive expression on her face, "They might even invite you inside..."

I sighed and shook my head. She doesn't get it. It's not about just seeing a girl naked. I have several things I prefer to have in a woman. It's not about how hot their bodies are or their sexual appeal. I don't care about seeing the girls with their long, slender, and smooth legs and their sweet curves and...

I wasn't quite sure when I started drooling. Kiryuu started snapping her fingers under my nose.

"Shirou. Shirou! Earth to Shirou!"

I blinked as I snapped out of my ero-induced trance. "Huh?"

"Anyway, I gotta start heading home." Kiryuu declared.

It was at that point that I realized I wasted precious time that could've been spent either finding someone strong to fight or playing ero-games (I don't play them EXCESSIVELY, but KIRYUU was actually the one who got me interested in them one time while I was at her house...WE WERE JUST HANGING OUT!...now that I think about it...why DID she have a pile of ero-games?...Hm...maybe they're not just for guys I guess...maybe they belonged to her brother...).

I nodded. "Yeah."

"I would ask if you wanna walk home together, but you have a bad track record with getting into fights. I really don't want to get dragged into it."

"Can't blame ya." I packed up my stuff and the two of us went our separate ways for the day.

* * *

I held my backpack over my shoulder. I hung my head as I realized I had a big problem.

I held my hand to my stomach as it growled loudly. "Sooooo huuuuungry..." I ended up forgetting to bring my bento to school so of course no food for me. I just hoped Makoto had dinner started by the time I got home. At this rate, I might die of hunger before any rival delinquent can do me in.

Now that I think about it, I didn't have breakfast either. I might really drop dead thanks to my stupid stomach and its need for food.

DAMN YOU, STOMACH! DAMN YOU TO HELL!

I was crossing the bridge that led to the shopping district. I would just head down the stairs right by it and I'd be halfway home. Then it was all good.

"U-Um...e-excuse me."

Oh what now?

I turned to the girl who was for some reason speaking to me and my eyes widened the moment I laid eyes on her.

She was rather beautiful. She had long, silky, black hair and a rather slender body which was clothed in a school uniform. Her eyes were a beautiful violet color.

"Can I help you?" I asked with a rather rude tone of voice. I preferred to get straight to the point. She may have been cute, but I was hungry and really didn't feel like putting up with any bullshit at the moment. She could've been a representative of some other gang. Wouldn't have been the first time they used a pretty girl to try and lure me in. So if this was some sort of trap I just wanted to get it over with.

The girl blushed deeply, her expression becoming shy. "You're Shirou Fujimura from Kuoh Academy, right?"

OK. Girl who knows my name and where I go to school. My suspicion became even more intense.

"Yeah. What of it?" Come to think of it. I don't really recognize that uniform. Was she a transfer? Or was there some private school I wasn't aware of that was nearby?

The girl turned her eyes away, seeming nervous. "Oh, I uh..."

She seemed like she genuinely wanted to ask something and didn't seem to be leading me into some sort of a trap, otherwise she would've just done it already. That's what the other girls did. Then again, they could quite possibly be learning. There's no telling how clever delinquents can be.

"Do you need help with something? Directions maybe?" I asked in a genuinely helpful manner. If she got herself lost, it could be possible she came from a school a few neighborhoods away and just gotten lost.

The girl shook her head. "No. Nothing like that...I mean I...I wanted to ask you something."

Maybe she was related to someone I knew from school. She would certainly fit the same criteria of most as the girls there.

I shrugged. "Shoot."

"A-Are you seeing anyone right now?"

"No." was my immediate answer. Other than Kiryuu, I haven't really dated anyone in...a good few years. Nobody asked me out and I didn't ask them out. Any girl who was a candidate to go out with was either a fangirl and didn't bother trying to get to know me before asking out, they were afraid of me because of my reputation, or I just didn't like them (usually because they are agents of a rival delinquent).

The girl's expression brightened. "O-Oh! Wonderful!"

I stared. "How so?"

The girl seemed to realize how it sounded before she shook her head. "N-No I mean...I mean in that case...would...would you like to go out with me?"

I blinked at the sudden question. "Eh?" My mind had trouble computing what she just said.

'Go out'? Like...a date? It was so shocking that she just came out and asked. She was either incredibly brave or perhaps hadn't heard of my reputation as a delinquent. While it was incredibly tempting to dive in without thinking, it probably wouldn't be fair to this girl if she suddenly went to her school and started being called the girlfriend of [The Demon King of Kuoh].

"You do know who I am, right?" I gestured to myself. "I am [The Demon King of Kuoh]. Aren't you afraid I'll do ecchi things to you or get you involved in gangs or whatever the Hell kind of rumors people are spreading?"

The girl confidently shook her head. "I know what people say about you, but I don't believe what they say. You seem like a really kind and gentle person."

I could feel my mouth twitch as I held back laughter with every last bit of my self-control.

'Gentle' and 'Kind' were not words people usually used when referring to me and I told the girl as such.

"That's not true!" She said almost a bit more forcefully. She then suddenly slipped back into shyness. "I mean, I don't think they really know you. While most of the things said about you are about you being a demon, I also heard one positive story..."

Oh dear God. She knows about THAT.

"...I heard there used to be a street gang that took advantage of and extorted the owners of a nice, family-owned shop nearby everyday. Nobody ever bothered to step in, not even the police, but then one day...ONE person DID step in. Even though he was hopelessly outnumbered, he fought and beat up every last one of them and drove them off. I know that person was you."

I blushed slightly from embarrassment. That story was fairly true in some ways. I DID fight and kick the asses of each one of those A-holes, but it was only pure luck that I ended up helping that nice family. Really! I had no intention on purposely helping them! I didn't go out of my way to tell those extorting bastards to get lost or anything like that! HAHAHAHA!...Shut up, baka!

"W-Well, I..."

The girl didn't let up. "See...the thing is...I'd like for you to be my boyfriend!"

"A-Ah...I see." I muttered nervously. But on the inside, I was like this:

WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?! No way! She actually just flat out said it! Even if she worked for someone, a girl would never just say what she just said!

I shook my head, chastising myself. I knew next to nothing about this girl. To just say yes so easily was just plain stupid.

"I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to-"

The girl's expression saddened considerably. I could feel my cheeks flush as I saw her eyes become reminiscent to those of a puppy dog. "I understand...I mean I just sprung it on you like that and...Oh I bet I look like some kind of weirdo right now! I'm sorry!" Her eyes began to water. "I just really like you and..."

Oh no! She's going to start crying! Quick, Shirou! Do something! Say something! Anything!

"I'll be your boyfriend!"

NOT THAT! YOU GODDAMN IDIOT!

My inner self then proceeded to promptly smack me upside the head and beat me like a punching bag. I never thought I'd need to plan out a reaction to such a situation so this girl caught me completely off-guard. I think I actually long for the classical 'lure you into a trap' trick.

"Really?!" The girl asked excitedly, as if uncertain if she heard right.

I sighed. I already backed myself into a corner so there was no reason to crush this girl who was, for one reason or another, in love with me. "Yeah. I guess I could do at least one date, Miss..."

The girl then seemed to panic slightly, as if berating herself for forgetting to introduce herself. "S-Sorry. I'm Yuuma Amano."

"I know you know already, but I'm Shirou Fujimura." I then proceeded to look Yuuma up and down. Now that I'm truly getting a good look, she's not a bad choice to go out on a date with. Her chest was admittedly amazing, she seemed like a nice enough girl...There was something else I needed to know. "Hey, Yuuma-san, could you do me a favor?"

Yuuma nodded. "Sure, _boyfriend_." She appeared to be taking that word out for a test drive. Technically, I only agreed to the one date, but I saw no point in pointing that out.

"Could you...just spin around for me?" Yuuma appeared to be confused by my request, but she seemed too happy to care. She spun around fast enough that her skirt seemed to levitate a bit in the air, allowing me a fantastic look underneath.

YES! Her ass was just as fine as the rest of her! While the oppai and the rest of the female body are nice, there is nothing quite like a well-toned ass! I'm also an ass-man. I admit it and I have no shame in admitting it. But above all else, I suppose I love a perfect ratio of oppai to ass. Neither too big or too small. Just right.

If she were an older sister type of girl, she would be perfect! If she fulfilled that last preference, I may have cried at that moment. Perhaps it's a good thing I didn't because Yuuma was starting to stare at me funny.

"So where do you want to meet, Yuuma-san?" I asked, still filled with the euphoria that had surged inside of my body.

Yuuma blushed again. "I-I was hoping we could um..." She probably would've started stuttering had her phone not gone off at that moment. She pulled her pink cellphone out of her pocket and stared at the caller ID. "O-Oh, I'm sorry! I have to be heading home right now, b-but-"

"We can meet here again tomorrow after I get out of school if you'd like." I suggested. "We can discuss our plans then, OK?" Yuuma smiled adorably.

"O-OK!" She ran off, waving goodbye. "See you tomorrow, BOYFRIEND!"

I waved slightly more awkwardly. "See you tomorrow..." While I was mostly uncertain about how I felt about Yuuma just assuming I would be her boyfriend, some tiny part of me actually felt a little happy about it. However, I would have to save my final judgement for our date.

Still trying to wrap my head around what happened, I continued my way home. But as I made my way down the stairs by the bridge, I had the nagging feeling that I was being watched. I tried turning around, but there was nobody else there. Eventually I just shrugged it off as my imagination acting up.

With nothing else to do, I continued my path home, my growling stomach tormenting me the entire way there.

* * *

Luckily I wouldn't have to go without dinner that night.

Rather than 'Cook', Makoto-neesan opted to order pizza instead.

We ate our pizza at the table in the dining room, an uneasy silence between us. Perhaps it was because I was usually the one who started the conversation. Makoto never really had to ask what happened to me everyday because she usually saw the bruises I got after kicking everyone's ass or when I came back complaining about how much of a pain school was. Clearly the silence was what tipped her off.

"Anything special happen today?" Makoto asked, finally breaking the silence.

I wasn't certain whether or not I should answer. If I did, it would seem like a big deal since I waited so long, but if I don't tell her, it would definitely seem like a big deal. Makoto tends to exaggerate things that seem out-of-character for me.

As I was pondering the answer, Mako-nee became rather impatient. "I SAID 'Did anything special happen today?'." Suddenly she was right next to my, yanking on my left cheek. I let out a growl of mixed pain and annoyance. "When your big sis Makoto asks you a question, you're supposed to answer it, Shirou-kun."

"Stop pulling on my face!" I smacked her hand away before I sensed a fight beginning to start. I puffed up my cheeks, turning away. "I just got asked out by a girl is all. No big deal." I then realized that Makoto didn't seem to be saying anything. I turned around to see her with her eyes wide and her mouth wide open in shock.

Drama queen.

"And you said yes?"

I nodded, raising an eyebrow. "Yeah, why?" I tensed when Makoto placed her hands on my shoulders.

"Oh thank all that is lucky in this universe!" I then noticed that her eyes were filled with tears of relief. "I was so afraid when you seemed to ignoring every single girl who looked at you filled with lust! I was worried you were about to enter _that_ world!"

"W-What?! What the Hell are you talking about?!" I wasn't quite sure what she was getting at, but a nagging feeling in the back of my mind told me I didn't want to know what she meant by 'that world'.

"I'm so happy you've shown an interest in_ girls_!" She then pulled me close to her chest and held me tightly. I felt my face heat up. Even though she was my sister, having her breasts press against my face was still horribly disconcerting. THEY WERE OPPAI FOR GOODNESS SAKE!

"GAH! Let me go, dammit!" I continued to struggle against my onee-san's killer bear hug, ignoring my embarrassment and instead focusing on annoyance. My face was steaming as the lower part of my face was buried in my neesan's clothed oppai.

Why meeee?!

* * *

It was the big day of my date with Yuuma.

Surprisingly, it wasn't as bad or awkward as I thought it'd be. I dared not say it aloud, but I actually had a little fun.

I figured I would have been a bit more suspicious considering I've never met this girl before. But somehow we ended up spending all day together. We were just a normal couple (I never said I was her boyfriend though! Earlier was just a slip of the tongue!) out on a normal date. I wasn't entirely unpopular with girls, but Yuuma was the only one who ever bothered to try and know me, not that rumored Devil who devours human souls. Maybe it was because she wasn't afraid of me or trying to seduce me that I had so much fun.

The most unusual think that happened was during the hour I had waited for Yuuma (she told me she had some sort of family meeting about something. Maybe her dad telling her to come back home still a virgin or something). Anyway, during that time, I got approached by this weird yet admittedly sexy chick in some sort of sexy bat outfit.

She simply handed me this weird looking paper and then walked away like nothing happened. I looked it over out of a mix of curiosity and boredom.

It was a small paper with an occult-looking feeling to it, a weird magic-circle, and a single sentence - "Your dream will be granted!" - written. I thought about showing it to Makoto. She usually had a weird interest in occult things like this. Sometimes when she saw occult-related things, her eyes burned with rage or lit up excitedly. Seriously, with the amount of energy she put in her reactions, you'd think she didn't know it was all a load of bull.

I didn't have any time to throw it away because it was then that Yuuma decided to show up and we began our fun date. It must've been the day the guy in charge of good fortune smiled down on me. Not a single time were we ambushed by the local delinquents.

I don't remember what was said or how I acted, but it must've been good because Yuuma almost always wore a smile except for certain points.

At certain points in the date, I felt this odd cold feeling in the pit of my stomach. Like some sixth sense was warning me that something bad was going to happen soon.

Thinking back on it, maybe my life would've been a lot easier if I just listened to that feeling and walked home...but easy is usually boring so I think I'm glad I didn't.

I don't even remember when the sun started to set, but at some point we had reached the climax of our date. We ended up at the park a bit of a ways from town. I felt myself actually grow nervous about what happens next. Would she ask for a kiss? Would we go further like in those ero-games I've played? Would it be one of those big 'I love you' scenes like in the sappier games I've played?

All of these questions buzzed about inside my skull. I began to wonder why the erotic part of my imagination was choosing now of all times to act up. Maybe I should try learning to get that under control. Maybe it was because I will (I WILL NOT ADMIT IT ALOUD!) nervous. Despite being one of the most popular guys girls ogled, I was...I was...I can say this. I was...

...a virgin.

Somehow, despite all of my strength and power, that one minor fact actually stung like Hell. Maybe my teenage mind thinks of that topic a big deal. I came close to losing my virginity several times over the past year or two, but I always decided against it at the time. At the time, it seemed like the best thing to do, but whenever my ero-imagination takes over, that fact pierces through my body like a sword.

Yuuma finally let go of my hand (I wasn't sure when we started holding hands) and walked in front of the fountain. She smiled sweetly and I felt my cheeks heat up a little at how cute she looked.

I scratched at my cheek, trying to think of something to break the silence. "Er...i-it sure was fun today..."

Yuuma's smile didn't waver, but something felt off. It was this weird feeling I had. It was the silence of the moment. Like the calm before the storm. The atmosphere somehow remained happy, but I felt certain something was different.

"Hey, Shirou-kun." She said. I attempted to smile, but like most of my other smiles, it looked a little forced. I'm not a naturally smiling person. Only when I'm laughing, blood thirsty, or being sarcastic do I smile naturally. Then again, I've never really felt comfortable with my smile. I just felt weird when people saw it.

"Yes, Yuuma? You need something?"

Yuuma walked closer to me and I felt her chest press against mine. "There is something I want to do to celebrate our first date. Can you listen to my wish?"

I glanced around cautiously, making sure there's no hidden thugs/delinquents hiding around, ready to jump me. I mean something about this felt suspicious. Upon confirming we were alone, I nodded. "Sure." I blushed lightly. Maybe it was the climax of the relationship like in the more ero-style visual novel-type games. While my ero-imagination started getting out of control again, I checked my preparedness for any outcome. Even my normal, less perverted side was starting to begin to believe that she would at least try to kiss me.

"Sure." I replied coolly. "What is it?" Yuuma continued smiling as she brought her lips close to my ear and whispered the words that changed my life and sealed my fate.

"Will you die for me?"

It was not the question itself that surprised me but the dark tone Yuuma's voice seemed to take on. I broke from Yuuma's grasp and backed away. I got a good look at her face and it was nothing like it was before. The warmth and kindness it had before was replaced by a slightly crueler smile.

Eh...? Maybe I heard wrong.

I rubbed the back of my neck. "Um, could you repeat that again, please? I think something's wrong with my ears." Yeah. It was just me not paying attention. Yuuma smiled and clearly intended to oblige.

"Will you die for me?"

I wasn't sure what my answer to that was. I wanted to say "Of course. I would die to protect you." or something cliche like that, but I knew she meant it in a different way. I had hoped it would be a joke, that I could say "Oh haha. Very funny, Yuuma." It had to be a joke, right?

Then giant, black wings sprouted from her back. Large, black, feathery wings. Her clothes seemed to vanish, being replaced with what appeared to be some sort of S&amp;M outfit with a cut off chain on her left arm. Her hair and eyes were the same color but they were a bit darker now.

No such luck.

She then started to flap her wings. The black feathers from her wings floated in the air before dropping down to my feet. At first I was about to mistake her from some sort of Angel, but from the look of her wings, I somehow knew differently. She wasn't an Angel, but she wasn't some sort of demon either. I knew that for sure. I was too focused on being confused to really focus on her outfit which did not leave much to the imagination.

My date flapped her wings while the sun began to set behind her. If this was a romance, it was certainly one of the most strangest ones I've ever seen...of course I was still delusional that this was going to end well for myself. Her cute eyes became cold and scary. Her voice, much colder, like an adult's, proving the previous times he noticed the change were not hallucinations.

"It was fun, the short time I spent with you. It was much more fun than I'd expected. I planned on it being boring, increasing my anticipation to kill you" She said, a little bit hesitant. "So thanks for showing a girl a good time." That last part was after her voice returned to being mocking.

At the time, I only had one thought: Bitch.

She spoke in such a condescending tone that I wouldn't mind hitting a woman as long as it was her.

"I have to admit, I never thought you would go for the whole 'cute and innocent' thing." She said, mildly surprised. "I truly thought you were some sort of Devil, but I guess I was wrong." She shrugged. "Either way, you must be dealt with."

"Not-a-chance-in-Hell-you-bitch PUUUUUUUUUNCH!" Yuuma was incredibly surprised to feel my fist slamming against the side of her face.

Hey, what kind of idiot would just stand there and watch while a girl was undoubtedly planning to kill you? There was no way I would be able to run so I might as well try to fight.

Yuuma was knocked back mostly due to her surprise that I fought back. Her expression then became rather angry.

"Suddenly I'm going to enjoy this much more." I saw a red light form in her right hand.

Before I could ask 'Enjoy what?', I felt a strange pain in my stomach.

I slowly looked down to see a bright-red spear of light sticking out the front of my torso. In retrospect, I probably should've prepared myself for a counter attack. I really hated hindsight at times like these.

I tried reaching for the spear only for it to suddenly vanish, leaving nothing but a huge hole in my stomach. Then blood spewed out of the open wound. More and more blood began to flow from the wound...blood...blood...

My head started feeling dizzy as my blood splattered against the ground. My eyesight started going blurry.

Shit.

I tried to remain on my feet, but the blood loss was starting to take away my sense of balance. I fell backwards onto the cold and unforgiving ground. Everything was starting to get darker. The most annoying part was that I couldn't tell if it was because the sun was setting or because I was probably dying.

Beside me, I could hear footsteps. No doubt Yuuma's or whatever her name really was.

"Sorry. You were a threat to us, so we decided to get rid of you early. If you want to hold a grudge, then hate the God who put the Sacred Gear inside you."

Us?, I wondered. So there were more of them. Even if I had somehow escaped or beaten Yuuma, there were other people like her waiting to kill me.

Perhaps the more annoying thing about this was that I would never get the chance to fight them. I would never get a chance to get stronger. I would never get a chance to keep that one promise I made to _her_...

I didn't bother to ask what this Sacred Gear thing was because, in a few minutes, it wouldn't even matter.

I didn't hear her walk away, but I could tell Yuuma left. Probably to go boast or whatever that she killed me so easily to her fellow black-winged friends.

Oddly, despite the fact that I'm dying, I couldn't really feel hate for her. I had a good run, lived a good life. I had plenty of girls ready to get naked for me. The only regret I have is dying a virgin.

This is all that I would LIKE to say. It's a total lie of course. There was no way I could be satisfied with a death like this...To think I would die so young...

Damn it...Damn it all to Hell!

I started to lose consciousness. The wound I had was fatal, yet oddly I didn't feel any pain. Maybe it was just so painful I had become numb.

Not even halfway through with my life and it was all over. I have to say, out of all the ways I thought I would go out, being speared by a super hot dark angel chick was not one of them.

I wondered what would happen tomorrow? Would anyone find my body? What about school?

Would anyone notice I was gone? Nobody except Kiryuu really knew me enough to care. To girls, I was just eye candy and some sort of lustful demon in their eyes. All of the guys hated me. Kiryuu would be the only person who would seriously cry, but I had a hard time picturing her in tears.

Mako-nee might also cry...If I hadn't been bleeding to death, that thought would've been hilarious. Come to think of it, I haven't really done anything to to please her as her brother...

I touched my stomach and brought it in front of me. My hand was completely covered in my blood.

I don't know why, but somehow I found that color beautiful. Even if it was the color of my own blood, it gave it a sort of twisted beauty. If I said that out loud, people would probably think I'm creepy...

I wonder if _she_ would look more beautiful with red hair...Jeez why was I thinking about this right now? I'm dying and THIS was how I spent my final moments?

Come to think of it, wasn't there some girl at school with red hair?

What was her name again? I think I've seen her walking around before but I never paid attention...I wonder if she was beautiful...I think I did talk to her one time...something about returning a book or something...I think this is possibly the most boring end to a life if there ever was one.

My vision got even more blurry if it was possible...

...damn it...what a useless life I've lived...if I were to be reborn...I would want it to be as someone stronger than me...someone who wouldn't die this easily damn it...

"So you were the one who called me." Came an unfamiliar voice. I had to strain my ears to make out what she had said. I couldn't make out her image because of my failing vision. "Looks like you are dying. Your wound...oh my, looks like something interesting is happening to you. So it's you…This truly is interesting." Then laughter.

Glad to see my death amuses you so.

"If you are dying, then I'll pick it up. Your life that is. From now, you will live for me." I was able to make out crimson hair before everything went dark.

And so the life of the Human known as Shirou Fujimura came to an end...

**Finished! After several weeks, it's finally done! It was MUCH MUCH longer than I would have preferred, but oh well. I suppose the prologue-type chapter SHOULD be something like that. The first episode of Fate/Zero was almost an hour and it led on to a BADASS series...until the ending that is. So yeah. This is my DxD fic. Shirou replaces Issei. Hope you had fun! **

**Thanks for the reads and reviews!**

**Bye-Bye~!**


	3. Chapter 2: New Life

**I'm glad that people are liking this story so far. With that ending, we continue onward towards the future! I thank you all for continuing to read this!**

**Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing.**

**Chapter 2:**

**New Life**

"AAAH!" I shot up from my bed, screaming. I quickly looked around before realizing I was somehow back in my room, my heart beating hard and fast enough that it might bust out of my chest.

[...I WILL KILL YOU IF YOU DON'T WAKE UP! YOU WILL BE CUT INTO PIECES IF YOU DON'T-]

I quickly hit the off button on my alarm clock, my heart rate finally slowing down. I then remembered what I had been panicking about.

"A dream...?" I could almost see those black feathers raining down around me again, my blood leaking through the hole in my chest. "...but...it felt so realistic..." I glared at the clock with the creepy anime chick with the chainsaw. I really wished Mako-nee would stop buying my stuff like that. It's no wonder I have crazy dreams with something like that.

...stupid yandere clock.

I would throw it away but then I wouldn't have an alarm clock at all and forget me waking up at all in the morning.

Speaking of morning...I looked out my window to see sunlight shining down everywhere.

What happened to me?

It was only after I felt a cold breeze 'down there' that I realized a more important question:

WHY THE HELL WAS I NAKED!?

Not naked as in I was wearing nothing but underwear. I mean NAKED naked. I wasn't even wearing underwear for some reason! There was no way I would come home tired enough to somehow accidentally take off all of my clothes and go to bed.

I then stared at the ceiling pensively. When I thought about it, I didn't remember coming home at all yesterday or taking off any of my clothes.

I scratched my head, confused. "Just what the Hell hap-"

"Unn...mmm..." I heard the sound of a sweet sounding voice next to me. I froze before turning slowly to my right to see what caused the noise.

That was when I saw the naked, crimson-haired beauty laying in the bed next to me.

She was naked...and beautiful...her skin was so white. Too bright for my eyes.

The thing that caught my eyes were her absolutely bare oppai. Perfectly naked for my wandering eyes. I could see the pink of her nipples and that was when I noticed the blood rolling down my chin from my nose.

Wait. I know this girl...she was like...erm...Gramery? Gromery...? Gremory! Rias Gremory was her name. That was her name! She's my senpai and...nope. That's about all I care to remember at the moment. I never really knew much about her really. Something about being the prettiest girl in school...

I quickly stuffed tissues up my nose to stop the bleeding.

Then another thought set in.

Oh shit. Did we...Did I...? Was this what I thought it was?!

I then watched as Gremory-senpai rolled over, allowing my eyes to glimpse her beautiful bottom.

If I had to use one word to describe it: STRIIIIIIIIKE~!

My mind was spinning at the thought that I had somehow experienced something that I thought even I would never have been able to achieve.

OK, calm down, Shirou. Keep cool. Keep calm. It's just some weird dream...

It would make sense if I didn't remember even doing anything. I had to calm down. Just calm down.

Oh yeah, at times like this it's good to count prime numbers to calm down.

2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23…Wait. This is boring as Hell! Why am I doing this?!

I looked back to Gremory-senpai and my nosebleed was renewed once again.

Why the Hell am I sleeping with her?! Just what the Hell happened?! Did...Did I score with this hot chick? YES!

...wait a minute. I lost my virginity and I can't even remember anything? FUCK! DAMN IT ALL TO HELL!

I proceeded to beat my head repeatedly in extreme frustration. Damn you, mind! Remember those sweet memories! Remember, damn you!

"Just what kind of sick joke is this, God?!" I hissed to myself. It was at that point that I felt the strangest of stinging pains in my head, causing me to wince. I wondered just what the Hell that was when I realized something else.

I was alone in my room. Naked. With a girl. Mako-nee would wake up any moment and come to check up on me.

My older sister would walk in and see me naked and alone with a girl...

THAT was when I began to truly panic.

"Shirou-kun! Wake up! It's time for school!"

Speak of the devil...

I paled as I could hear my sister's footsteps coming near the door. The very thought of what she would do made me want to jump out the window and run...public decency laws be damned.

"I know you're there! I saw your shoes by the door, so don't try to pretend you're not here!" I could hear Makoto click her tongue from here. "Geez! Staying at a friend's house so late! On top of that, being late for school! Not to mention you didn't ask permission first!"

Shit shit shit shit shit shit SHIT!

Makoto's footsteps could still be heard coming up the stairs and down the hall, her footsteps carried even further by the sound of anger.

If she saw this, it would be really really REALLY bad.

"W-Wait! I'm up! I'm up! You don't need to come up! I'm getting ready already!" I shouted, still panicking. The one person whom I truly feared was coming upstairs already pissed off. If she saw this, she would bury me herself and then dance on my grave.

"Like Hell! You have a lot to answer for, you lazy ass!" She screamed, her pace increasing.

My eyes darted left and right as I tried to find some reason to keep her from entering.

"Er-I uh...I'm not decent right now! I'm literally butt-naked right now!" Not the entire truth, but it certainly wasn't a lie. That's for certain.

"Oh please!" I could almost sense Neesan rolling her eyes. "I bathed you when you were little. There's _no part_ of you I haven't seen. Nothing to be ashamed about."

OK...creepy, but still very afraid.

"Hmm...Is it morning already?" I jumped before turning around to see my naked senpai slowly sitting up on my bed. She wiped her eyes tiredly.

Of course she chose THIS MOMENT to wake up.

I quickly stood from my bed and picked my blanket off from the floor. My face was beet red by that point.

"T-This may be a bit short notice but please put this on, senpai!" I didn't care if I had to beg. I didn't feel like dying painfully today so swallowing my pride was a small price to play.

I quickly ran over to cover my senpai, but I felt my foot get caught on the end of the blanket. I tripped.

Perhaps the most eventful part of this would be where my face fell right into something beautiful and soft. Senpai didn't say anything and I felt my dread increase tenfold in the next second.

I then heard the door open. "OK, what's going-!" I quickly pulled my face out of senpai's marvelous oppai to turn to my sister with an incredibly red face.

Sometimes I wondered why the universe hated me so much.

Senpai smiled at Makoto as if me and her WEREN'T completely in the nude and in a very suggestive position when Makoto walked in. "Ah. Good morning."

I stared at her in disbelief. OK, it was excuse time! "N-Neesan! I know what it looks like but it's not like that! I-I uh..."

Makoto paused. Not froze, just paused, as if she was surprised about something. "Good morning." She then turned to me and I felt my heart stopped. "Hooking up with a foreign girl...so you AREN'T heading towards _that world..._" I felt my sweat dropped when I could see my Neesan's eyes water with tears. "I've never been more proud of you than I am right noooooow!" Neesan started breaking out into tears immediately. I felt even more disturbed when Neesan gave me a teary-eyed thumbs up.

"N-Neesan?!" Hold up. What? She's not dismembering me?...wait..did she really have so little faith in me?!

Makoto's tears quickly dried up as I noticed a strange expression on her face when she looked at senpai. The next second, my neesan's expression was a sneaky and slightly perverted one. "Kukukuku~! If you wanted some quiet time, you should've just said so, Shirou-kuuuun~! I'll just leave you and your lady for now~! Good luck~!" With that, Makoto Fujimura shot me one last thumbs up before vanishing behind the door, closing it with a slam. I was left just sitting there, my eye twitching as I tried to process what just happened...

To sum up my thoughts: What...the fuck?

I was brought out of my state of confusion when I found a soft, white hand glide under my chin and turn my head to face my beautiful senpai.

"Your sister is quite an interesting person, isn't she?" Yeah. _Interesting_. Let's go with that.

I quickly pulled away from her, blushing when I looked down again. I could feel more blood leak out of my nose before I plugged it again. "O-Oi! Y-You know I can see your o-oppai right now, right s-senpai?" I turned away, feeling it ungentlemanly to look without permission.

"If you want to see it, then go ahead."

I blinked. Then I turned back, my nose still bleeding slightly. Hey, I wanted permission and she gave me permission. No point in wasting this awesome opportunity! It was only a shame that it was at that point that she started putting on her clothes again, turning her back to me after she stood up. I did my best to control my erotic thoughts enough for me to turn away, giving her at least some privacy while she got dressed.

I wasn't quite sure why considering I had already seen her absolutely naked. Feeling self-conscious, I, too, started getting dressed. I did still have to go to school, whether I had actually lost my virginity or not (although now I suspected it was the latter).

Now that my oppai-induced trance was over, I suddenly thought about something. More like I was brought back to a previous thought. Just what exactly happened?

"So how's your stomach?" Gremory-senpai asked casually. I stared through half-lidded eyes, uncertain what she meant. I then looked down and saw a faded mark, almost nonexistent. My mind suddenly flashed back to a previous picture. A girl with crow-like wings...spearing me in the chest with a spear of light. I winced as I remembered the incredibly real-feeling pain of having a hole in my stomach.

"What?" I still wasn't uncertain...but could it be... "It had to be dream." I said almost to myself.

"You were stabbed yesterday. It wasn't a dream." She sounded as if she had expected any kind of response I gave her.

I wanted to say something like "Haha. Very funny." but I remember what happened the last time I had a thought like that. But the way she spoke. She had completely confirmed what I suspected. Yuuma, almost dying, none of it was a dream.

I shook my head. "But...I was wounded. I had a giant hole in my chest! There's no way I'd be alive after something like that!"

Senpai nodded, as if agreeing. "Normally you wouldn't be, but I was able to heal your wound. It was critical, but thanks to your tough body, it was a treatable injury by using my power in a night. I shared some of my demonic powers with you by embracing you while we were naked. I was able to do it because we are from the same clan."

I stared. "What?" I heard all of it, but only a few parts of it made it to my brain. The few parts that did, only a few pieces of THAT made even the slightest bit of sense.

Senpai buttoned up her shirt. "I've been embracing you in the nude to heal you." She simplified.

I stared again. "Ah. So that's it." I then let that sentence slowly sink into my brain. "EEEEEEHHHH!?"

W-Wait a minute! If she was naked...and-and if I was naked, t-then-!

"Don't worry. I'm still a virgin."

Ah. So that means so am I. I felt both relieved and a little disappointed. Wait. She said she healed a hole in my chest. Maybe I should be more worried about THAT instead of me retaining my virginity.

My thoughts must've been reflecting on my expression because senpai smiled.

"Don't make such a weird face. This world is surrounded by more mysterious things than you can imagine."

...That sounded both interesting yet ominous in various ways.

Even though I could still see her underwear, she approached me and patted my cheek with her slim fingers.

I felt my cheeks heating up as I tried to pull of an angry expression, but my embarrassment made it seem more like a childish pout. I do not like being treated like a pet.

"I am Rias Gremory. I am a Devil."

...what?

"And I am your Master. Nice to meet you, Fujimura Shirou-kun. Can I call you Shirou?"

In the face of all of this, I could only say one thing...

"What?"

* * *

"Itadakimasu." Both Senpai and I said grace before we began to eat breakfast. I was the one who cooked breakfast today so it was me, Senpai, and Makoto eating miso soup.

If Makoto was surprised by Senpai's arrival at our house, she hid it very well...but I couldn't help but notice a heavy silence eating up the atmosphere around her. She didn't say anything. She just continued eating along with my Senpai who didn't seem as bothered about it.

For me, this mood totally killed my appetite so I just stared blankly at the food in front of me.

Senpai must've noticed at some point because she turned to me and spoke elegantly. "Shirou, you shouldn't let your food go to waste if you spent time cooking it. Eat it."

I shot her a sideways glare that she didn't seem to notice. I don't like being ordered around.

But I did so anyway. I began practically shoving food into my mouth just to get it over with.

"Oi. Baka-otouto, you're going to choke if you keep eating like that." I stopped eating and stared at Neesan who I noticed was being a HUGE hypocrite! She was practically shoveling her food down her throat. A piece of food hung out of the corner of her mouth before she slurped it up.

"Nee-sama's right, Shirou." Senpai agreed. Why the Hell are YOU calling her Neesan? And do you not see the food hanging out of her mouth?!

Makoto looked up and stared at Senpai. "So where do you come from?"

I have no idea whatsoever.

Senpai smiled politely at Makoto. "…Oh my, I apologize for not introducing myself… I brought shame to the House of Gremory. Please allow me to introduce myself. Nee-sama, my name is Rias Gremory. I attend the same Academy as Fujimura Shirou-kun. It's a pleasure to meet you."

I then noticed something strange...the coldness in Neesan's expression. It didn't last long so it may have been my imagination because Neesan smiled again. "Likewise, Lady Gremory."

I blinked. Did she...did she just call her 'Lady Gremory'? What's up with that? Senpai seemed slightly surprised as well but she quickly hid it. She seemed a bit confused or perhaps uneasy about something.

"Are you from a foreign country? Your Japanese is surprisingly good."

Senpai nodded, still smiling politely. "Yes. Due to my father's work, I have been living in Japan for a long time."

Makoto nodded again. I still felt something was 'off'. "I see." I then felt the heavy atmosphere vanish entirely as a perverted and amused smirk appeared on Neesan's face. "So what exactly is your relationship with my perverted little brother?"

That...was a good question. I leaned on one arm as I watched my Senpai expectantly, waiting to see if she would answer the question I had been pondering for the past half-hour or so.

"We are just a senior and a junior who are quite close to each other, Nee-sama."

I stared through half-lidded eyes at my senpai.

She already saw us naked in bed. Come up with something more believable please.

"Oh really?" My Neesan raised an eyebrow. "So it's normal for two classmates to sleep naked together?"

I could feel the atmosphere grow heavy again. But this time I could feel it's because she's having fun at someone's expense. Whether it's mine or Senpai's, I have no idea.

My crimson-haired senpai seemed bothered by something, but she was quite effective in covering it up. She kept the same smile throughout the conversation, but it wavered once or twice throughout the exchange. She continued talking as if she hadn't been bothered.

"Shirou said he has nightmares, so I was just sleeping with him." I had to bite my tongue for that one. I DO NOT have nightmares! "And nowadays, people DO sleep naked when they sleep together."

I saw my Neesan's eyes narrow a second before an empty look developed in them. "Is that so?" She asked in a possessed tone...although it sounded a little fake for some reason. "I see. People just sleep naked lately."

Senpai seemed slightly relieved before she leaned into my ear and whispered to me. "I'm sorry. It looked like it would become troublesome, so I used my power."

Power?...is this something to do with that Devil-thing that she was talking about earlier? I could still remember her words.

_"I am a Devil."_

I stared at Senpai who went back to eating her food. So did Makoto, the atmosphere lifting for the second and final time.

Just who was Rias Gremory?

* * *

[Kuoh Academy]

You know, I thought my day couldn't have gotten any more annoying than this morning...

Guess who was dead wrong.

I should've known better really.

Even though I got a good look at Rias-senpai naked, my day was still somewhat annoying. The first thing that was bothering me was that everyone was just staring at me all the way to school. The second was the fact that there was more whispering and/or screaming than usual, accompanying the mixture of angry, confused, or disappointed stares.

"Why is he with Rias-oneesama?"

"Do you think they...?"

"Did the [Demon King of Kuoh] dare to violate Rias-oneesama?!"

"I'm gonna kill him..."

Pffft! Yeah right. Bring it if you think you're so tough. Seriously! What's with everyone jumping to such extreme conclusions.

And then there were the girls...

"No! Shirou-sama has been taken by Onee-sama!"

"*Sobs* It's not fair!"

"If only I had known this was going to happen! I would've just laid flat on my back and let him ravage my body!"

"...you know you said that out loud right?"

"D-Did I?!...If I told Shirou-sama, do you think he would give into his demonic instincts?"

I sighed. I had to admit that I blushed a little as that one comment was a bit more extreme. People were so annoying sometimes. The third most annoying thing was also humiliating as well. I may have been walking next to the school idol, but...I was being forced to carry her bag like some kind of servant! I'm not some kind of dog to be trained!

The mix of insults and screams of jealousy rolled off me like water off a duck's back. Some students fainted from shock (these were the ones who were either male or saw me as a demon). Some girls actually started crying when they saw me walking next to Rias-senpai.

We finally split up once we reached the school's entrance. I turned my back to the red-head when she spoke to me again.

"I will send someone to get you." She said with a smile. "Let's meet again later."

I gave a lazy wave as I started walking away, not caring. "Whatever. See ya later." The sooner I got away from this chick the less of a pain my life was. I had devoted myself to the thought that I hit my head or something and that she was crazy. It was the only way I could cope with whatever was going on.

Devils? Hot chicks with black wings? Just what did I get myself into?

Nobody dared to cross my path except...

""FUJIMURA!""

...those two.

I groaned as two members of the Perverted Duo ran up to me, a mix of curiosity and jealousy in there eyes.

The baldy, Matsuda, was clenching his fists. If I had been anybody else, he might've tried to punch me. Of course he doesn't because he knows I'd murder him. "Since when did you start playing the field!? WHAT THE HELL, MAN!?"

I glared at him, growling. "FIRST OFF, I DON'T RECALL EVER BEING YOUR BUDDY SO MY LIFE IS NONE OF YOUR DAMN BUSINESS! SECOND, NOTHING HAPPENED!"

Motohama, the second 'Pervy Glasses Character' I know, adjusted his glasses before silencing Matsuda with a hand on the shoulder. For a moment I thought he was going to be the wisest of the two and suggest they leave. I was proven wrong when a grin appeared on his face. "You're among friends here! Come on, you can tell us. What was it like?"

I could feel my eye twitch a little from annoyance. I was seriously going to hit these two. "Read my lips: Nothing. Happened."

"LIES!" Matsuda continued on the warpath. "How the Hell did a guy like you get someone like Rias Gremory!?"

"Was it good!?" Motohama then got on board and started to pester

"Does she like it rough?!"

"Was she really a virgin!?"

"What was it like?!"

"Were you able to see her oppai?!"

Rather than pointlessly trying to rebut any claims of me taking my senpai's virginity, I instead chose the simpler path of giving both of them a brief yet painful blow to the back of the head. I growled once more.

"To answer your questions in order: Fuck you. Shut up. Don't give a damn. Probably. Piss off. And none of your damn business!"

The two then leaned in, suspicious. "Oh? What's with that response on that last question?"

"A little bit too much more hostility than the other answers."

"Did something-" They didn't get the chance to finish that question because the next second I had delivered a blow to the back of both of their heads. I stared blankly.

"I didn't have anything witty to say so I just went with that." I admitted. Hey, it's easy to do stuff like that to people who aren't your friends and tend to piss you off.

"To think I'd find you talking to these two," interrupted a new voice filled with mock surprise. I turned to see the only glasses character that I actually called my friend.

I could see Kiryuu analyzing me. I couldn't tell in which respect.

Then the seriousness of the moment was killed by Kiryuu's own perverted grin. "So how did our senpai react when you used your 'gift' to satisfy her?" I opened my mouth to say something before Kiryuu laughed to herself. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding." I released a sigh. "If you really had done 'that', you would be so much more cheerful. Anyway, the reason I came to find you so you don't end up late again."

"Yeah yeah yeah." Something I noticed is that the only people are regularly associate myself with are a bunch of perverts. "Can we please just go before I'm tempted to beat someone into a coma?" I started walking to class without waiting for an answer. Kiryuu followed after me, leaving the other two morons to do God knows what for reasons that I don't care about.

At some point, Kiryuu caught up to me and walked by my side. "So what DID happen exactly, Shirou?"

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing and if someone asks one more time, I swear I'll-"

Kiryuu gave a thumbs up. "Gotcha." I released a sigh of relief. At least SOMEONE was letting it go. That was the one thing about Kiryuu that I liked. She knew when to drop a subject.

And so school began.

* * *

And in a flash, it was over too.

Maybe it was because I spent the whole day thinking about Gremory-senpai. I was still in absolute denial by that point about everything that happened, but even then I was still uncertain. As the classroom began to clear, I leaned back in my seat, placing my legs on my desk.

All throughout the day I was cornered by teary-eyed girls who wanted to confirm whether or not I was dating Rias Gremory. No matter how much I said otherwise, I kept hearing small whispers of 'Liar' and 'Not fair...' from most of them. The guys, as ball-less as they were, actually got angry enough to make threats against me to kick my ass...from several feet away and speaking in whispers when I was around. Bunch of cowards really. Can't even threaten me to my face.

"Hi. How are you doing?"

I raised an eyebrow as I turned to the person who addressed me. He was just about my age with blonde hair and the look of an annoying pretty boy...or more well known as Kuoh Academy's #1 best looking prince, Yuuto Kiba. Though we're in different classes, I couldn't help but hear about him when there's usually some random chick fawning over him every ten seconds. Seriously, I could hear some of them screaming in excitement at his presence right now. Several of them were in the classroom.

He had his usually 'pretty boy' smile on his face with his eyes looking at me, half-lidded.

"What do you want?" I asked, not wasting any time. People who you've never met before usually only talk to you because they have some sort of goal in mind.

"I cam here by order of Rias Gremory-senpai."

Ah. I had almost forgotten about that. Almost. It kept nagging me from the back of my mind. Realizing I might finally get some damn answers, I nodded. "What do you need me to do?"

Kiba gestured. "I want you to follow me."

I stood up from my chair and followed Kiba out the door of the classroom. I only paused when I heard excited whispers in the corner of the room between several of my female classmates.

"OMG! For Fujimura-sama and Kiba-sama are walking beside each other!"

"I can't believe it! No wonder 'the Beast' didn't fall for our feminine wiles!"

"No way Shirou is batting for the other team! Maybe he sometimes substitute for their players but I know that he prefers women!"

"I totally ship the Fujimura-samaxKiba-kun pairing!"

"Me too!"

Please...just shut up. For the love of God (I winced involuntarily at a strange pain I felt), shut up.

I could feel my pride as a man hurt a little as they doubted my sexuality. This was one of the few innuendos I understood. I LIKE GIRLS DAMMIT!

I sighed, looking ahead of me at my blonde guide. "Do you get this everyday, too?"

"Yes I do, but you get used to it." He said, not very bothered. Personally, I found it to be a pain in the ass. I just know Kiryuu's going to milk this for all it's worth the next time I see her. I know all the other girls are by this point.

As we walked around, I couldn't help but finally notice a strange exhaustion as the sun beamed down on me. Like I had just gotten done beating up a gang alliance made up of five different gangs...now THAT was a crazy Saturday...

I was only snapped out of my reminiscing when I noticed the old school building we were walking towards behind the school. While I admit it was well-maintained, something about it would creep me out for some reason. Not much, but I was certain something was up at that building. I had just never been curious enough to check it out before now.

Kiba finally broke the silence that had somehow fallen upon us. "Buchou is here."

I blinked. Buchou? Is he talking about Gremory-senpai?

As we made our inside the building and up some stairs two the second floor, I couldn't help that feeling inside of me that was literally screaming that I was about to enter something I never would've believed if I had not been stabbed and supposedly brought back to life.

We kept on walking before stopping before a specific room with a sign over the door:

[Occult Research Club]

Figures. With all the stuff that crimson-haired girl was talking about, of course this would be the club she's in charge of.

"Buchou, I have brought him." Kiba said to whomever was on the other side of the door.

There were a few seconds of waiting before the voice of Rias Gremory replied. "Yes. Come in."

I followed the blonde-haired prince into the room and I had to admit I was a little surprised but some part of me expected what I saw.

The entire room was covered in various weird signs and symbols that made absolutely zero sense to me. They looked like some sort of magic circles. There was an especially large one right in the middle of the room. It appeared the be the main source of the creepy feeling this building gave me. There were a couple of sofas and desks scattered around the room.

On one of said sofas sat a silver-haired girl eating youkan. She was petite and she wore the girl's school uniform.

I think I've heard of her somewhere...oh yeah. One of the times when Kiryuu WASN'T sexually harassing me or something along those lines, she mentioned this girl. Koneko Toujou. A 1st year and apparently my kouhai. She's one of the most popular among a certain group of guys. She was also well liked by the girls and treated as the school mascot.

She had a sleepy expression as she continued eating her youkan. She turned to Kiba and I as we entered the room, acknowledging our arrival.

Kiba walked forward and gestured slightly to me. "This is Shirou Fujimura."

Koneko nodded to me. "Nice to meet you."

I nodded back, acknowledging her greeting. "Likewise." The petite girl then return to her youkan. Well that was possibly the most normal exchange I've had all day. Even though she doesn't talk much like Kiryuu had told me, it was something at least.

SHA-

That is when I heard the sound of flowing water. I blinked. A shower? A little out of place in a place like this.

I looked towards the back of the room where a shower curtain had been drawn closed. I could make out a shadow behind it.

The shadow of a girl. So a girl was taking a shower in the middle of a clubroom filled with other people...

What clubroom has a shower?!

Then I heard the sound of the water being turned off, as the person using it probably became aware of my presence.

"Buchou, take this." I heard another voice that did not belong to the shadow.

"Thank you, Akeno." If I had made a bet, I would've won by a landslide due to the obviousness that the shadow had been Gremory-senpai.

I involuntarily began to remember earlier that morning. I could still remember all of the curves of Senpai's body and the softness of her ski-WAIT! Focus, Shirou! Remember why you're he-

I could then feel my face heating up as the memory of my Senpai's beautiful body triumphed over all of my mental defenses to keep me on task.

"...What a lecherous face." I saw Koneko mutter out of the corner of my vision.

Yeah. I kinda deserved that one. I apologize. I will admit to that one.

I looked at the curtain as it opened to reveal Senpai in her school uniform. Her wet hair made her look admittedly more seductive.

She smiled when she turned to me. I raised my hand once in a sort-of lazy wave for a greeting. I felt SOMETHING was appropriate considering that I'm the one coming to her for answers. "I'm sorry. I couldn't take a shower last night because I stayed the night at your place, so I took a shower now."

I should at least appreciate that she didn't say that somewhere in public where people are around. But that still sounded horribly misleading.

Then I looked behind Senpai and was surprised to see another person standing behind her. She was apparently the resident Yamato Nadeshiko and was admittedly beautiful just like Gremory-senpai.

The second of the two great onee-samas, Akeno Himejima. She was one of the people idolized by both girls and boys alike along with Rias Gremory. Her pretty face was said to always be smiling. While I don't think it's possible to ALWAYS be smiling (I doubt you can smile all the time while you're asleep), I have no evidence to prove it.

"Ara ara. Hello, my name is Himejima Akeno. Pleased to make your acquaintance." She introduced herself in a polite manner. I don't know how, but if I had to match a voice to her beautiful face, that would be exactly what it'd sound like. That is just exactly how I expected her to sound.

Despite my attempts at self-control, I found myself blushing again. Not one, but TWO older sister-type girls (not to mention the most beautiful girls in school) standing right in front of me makes whatever annoyance that plagued me today utterly worth it. I had almost completely forgotten the original reason why I was there.

I bowed politely. "S-Shirou Fujimura. Nice to meet you, Himejima-senpai."

Once all of the introductions had been completed, Rias-senpai had apparently decided it was time to get down to business. "Looks like everyone is here. Shirou Fujimura-kun. No, let me call you Shirou."

I shrugged, letting her know I didn't care either way. "Sure."

"We, the Occult Research Club, welcome you."

I blinked in confusion. "Eh?" WHEN exactly did I agree to that?

"As a Devil." Ria-senpai finished.

I stared through half-lidded eyes as my mind took its sweet time processing what she said. There she goes again with that word. Devil.

I don't quite remember how, but at some point I ended up sitting on one of the sofas as Himejima-senpai handed me a cup of tea. I took a sip and was surprised by how good it tasted. I told senpai as such for which she thanked me. I was a little surprised when she started laughing by saying "Ufufu". I didn't know people actually did that.

I took a few more sips of tea before I pulled the cup away from my lips and then smacked my lips a few times. I waited a few seconds, closing my eyes and closing and opening my mouth several times.

I opened my eyes. "Bull." I said rather bluntly. "I do not believe you. Is this some sort of prank? Am I getting punk'd or whatever the Hell it's called?"

Rias-senpai shook her head. "I assure you. This is the truth. You are not being deceived, Shirou."

I felt a pang of annoyance. "I doubt it. There's no way that anything you're telling me can be true. There's no evidence whatsoever supporting your claim." For a moment, I had completely deceived myself that she was lying. It was the only way that anything made sense.

Of course my argument didn't last long as I saw Rias-senpai lay something down on the table in front of me.

A photo. My eyes widened as I recognized the familiar, black-haired girl in picture. The one whom I had gone out with...the one who had speared me straight through the chest with a spear of light.

"Yuuma Amano." Were the first two words Rias-senpai said after a good four minutes of silence. "That day, you were on a date with Yuuma Amano, right?"

I felt something strange in my chest. It was like fire. It was hot and filled with rage...but it also hurt me so.

"...shut up..." The words left my mouth as something less than a whisper. Despite the anger in them, nobody heard my words.

"She tricked you. She killed you."

"Shut up..." I said only a little more loudly.

"She used you and betrayed you when your guard was down."

"I SAID SHUT UP!" I shouted at the top of my lungs. I don't know why, but the thought of Yuuma made me so angry...and also a little sad.

I blinked as I snapped back to my senses. I was standing. Everyone was staring at me, the expressions on everyone's faces mixed in total. Koneko had stopped eating and was watching me with a mildly surprised look. Kiba seemed to be calm, but I could tell he thought I was going to attack Rias-senpai and seemed ready to act should that event come to pass. Himejima-senpai still had her smile on her face, apparently unfazed, but I could tell she was only mildly surprised at most.

Rias-senpai was the only one with a truly calm expression. "I'm sorry, but I assumed you wouldn't truly listen unless she was brought up. I apologize for reminding you of that memory. Are you listening now?"

I breathed deeply in and out, my anger dying down with each moment as my eyes darted between each of the surrounding individuals. After a few seconds, I had my temper completely under control. A slightly ashamed look appeared on my face. "Yes. Please forgive me for my outburst." I quietly took my seat again.

Everyone else quickly relaxed as the angry aura around me faded completely.

Rias-senpai seemed to have quickly forgiven me because she acted as if I hadn't just lost my temper.

"As I'm sure you've guessed, 'Yuuma Amano isn't exactly a human. You saw her wings, correct?" I nodded. "That's a Fallen Angel. They are former Angels who served God, but they are beings who have fallen to Hell because they had evil intentions. They are also the enemy of us Devils."

I felt like we were entering the realm of fantasy right there, but I wouldn't say as such because I used up my one 'whoops' when I started shouting.

"We, the Devils, have been at war with the Fallen Angels since ancient times. We have been fighting over the possession of the Underworld, which is also known as Hell in the human world. The Underworld is split into two areas, one for Devils and one for Fallen Angels. The Devils form pacts with humans and receive their sacrifices and increase their strength. The Fallen Angels on the other hand control humans to eliminate Devils. At this point the Angels come in to destroy these two races on God's orders, which creates the three forces. This has been going on since ancient times."

I nodded, still trying to process this. "So Yuuma was one of these 'Fallen Angels' is what you're saying? Are these the kind of things the Occult Research Club does?"

"Occult Research Club is just a camouflage for us. It's my hobby. It's actually a gathering place for us Devils." Rias-senpai then returned the first question I asked. "This Fallen Angel came in contact with you to accomplish a certain goal. After she accomplished it, she got rid of any record and evidence regarding herself."

I placed a hand on my chin. "And this goal was supposedly killing ME, am I right?" Rias-senpai nodded. Being right didn't really make me feel any better. Perhaps even worse because Yuuma only got close to me to kill me. "But why though? Why did Yuuma have to kill me? Was it some sort of grudge?"

Rias-senpai shook her head. "No, you were just unlucky. There are possessors who weren't killed..."

I raised an eyebrow. "Possessors? Does this have to do with that thing Yuuma was talking about...Sacred Gear, was it? Is that why she killed-?" Then I truly realized something. I had _died_ yesterday. I shouldn't even be here asking these questions. Even with Rias-senpai's naked healing powers, I'm pretty sure Yuuma struck some vital organs. I would've bled to death at least before I had a chance to be healed.

I opened and closed my hand in front of me, trying to process yet ANOTHER unbelievable thing.

"That day, you went on a date with her and then went to the park, where you were killed with a _Spear of Light_." Rias-senpai then continued after a brief pause. "And you were right about that guess. The reason why she approached you is so she could check if there is a dangerous thing inside you. She must have received a weak response from it. That's why she took her time checking you. Then she confirmed it. That you were a human who possessed a Sacred Gear."

So that's why. I could still remember Yuuma's last words to me before I succumbed to blood loss:

_"Sorry. You were a threat to us, so we decided to get rid of you early. If you want to hold a grudge, then hate the God who put the Sacred Gear inside you."_

"But what IS a Sacred Gear anyway?" I asked. Kiba was the one who answered.

"Sacred Gear is an irregular power that is bestowed to certain humans. For example, most of the people whose names are recorded in history are said to be possessors of a Sacred Gear. They used the power of their Sacred Gear to record their name in history."

Himejima-senpai nodded before continuing where he left off. "Presently, there are people who possess Sacred Gears within their bodies. You know those people who play an important role worldwide? Most of those people possess a Sacred Gear."

So hypothetically I could use Sacred Gear to rule the world? BWAHAHAHAHAHA-No not really. I have no interest in something like that. I then chose to listen to Rias-senpai as she finished the entire explanation.

"Most of the Sacred Gears have functions that are only usable in the human society. But there are exceptional Sacred Gears that are a threat to us, the Devils, and Fallen Angels. Shirou, raise your hand."

I gave her a confused look, but I did as instructed. I raised my left arm.

"Now, close your eyes and imagine the strongest thing that comes to mind."

"Strongest, huh?...Emiya Shirou from Fate/Stay Night...Heavens Feel route?" Some people would say Son Goku from Dragon Ball Z, but he ain't got shit on Shirou Emiya! People who have the name Shirou are total badasses.

"Then imagine it, and imagine that person in a particular pose where he looks the strongest."

I thought about every last scene and I decided on the first moment Shirou used the arm of his Counter Guardian counterpart. "..." I remained silent as I focused on the same pose he had when tracing Nine Lives.

"Lower your arm slowly and stand up." I was really starting to wonder where Rias-senpai was going with this. I don't usually like being ordered around, but I was really curious. I lowered my arm and stood up from the sofa. "Now mimic the pose of that person. You have to imagine it strongly, okay? You cannot hold back."

I nodded as I focused with all my might to remember that pose perfectly. I raised my arm up into the air and I opened my hand to grasp the handle of an imaginary weapon that had yet to exist, just as Shirou did when having to fight against Berserker. I just hope I don't break any bones like Emiya did the first time he did this. Unlike him, I don't have reinforcement powers.

Suddenly I was less sure about this.

"Hurry and do it." Don't rush me, woman! I perfected the pose, trying to forget all of my worries. I hope I look as much like a badass as Emiya when he did this. If not, I will never do this again.

"Trace...ON!"

"Now, open your eyes. In this place which is filled with demonic power, the Sacred Gear will be able to appear more easily."

There was a bright flash of light and my left arm glowed. I could literally feel the power building up in my left arm. After a few seconds, the light vanished, leaving a strange thing on my arm. I expected some sort of gauntlet, but this 'Sacred Gear' was much more different than from what I expected.

It took the form of some sort of long red cloth wrapped around my arm. It deeply resembled the Shroud of Martin that Shirou had to wear around Archer's arm in order to keep it from killing him. Only difference was that it had two, long strands of cloth fluttering in the air behind me. The only part of my arm not covered was my fingers. Embedded in the cloth on the back of my hand was a strange, green gem.

I lowered my arm and stared at it in wonder. "Well...that happened." I clenched and unclenched my fist as I examined this strange thing around my arm. I looked at Rias-senpai, who seemed slightly surprised about something. "Is this a Sacred Gear?"

"...Archer's arm..." I think I heard her mutter under her breath. For a moment, I could've sworn I saw a weird expression on her face. One of those sparkly expressions that you'd see on an otaku who's eying something awesome and related to an anime or manga or something. It only lasted for a second so I couldn't be sure because she immediately became confused. "Yes, but I've never seen one quite like it...It could be a variation of Twice Critical, but I'm not really sure." It sounded like she may have been talking more to herself than me. "Anyway, once it appears, you can use it anywhere and anytime as you will."

That would've been useful if I knew what the Hell it does.

"Regardless of what it does, it was dangerous enough for the Fallen Angel, Yuuma Amano, to see you as a threat and therefore killed you."

Well, I guess I can't choose denial anymore. The proof of all of this is literally right on my arm.

"You called me when you were on the verge of death. I was summoned through this paper." Rias-senpai then pulled out a leaflet from her pocket. It was just like the one I had gotten from that weird, sexy bat girl I met while I had been waiting for Yuuma. Just like the one I had, the leaflet Rias-senpai had read: "We will grant your wish!"

I also noticed that the magic circle on the leaflet matched the one on the floor.

"This is one of the leaflets we give out. This magic circle is used to summon us Devils." Rias-senpai explained. "These days there aren't many people who would draw this circle to summon us. So we give these leaflets to people who look like they would summon Devils. This magic-circle is safe and easy to use. That day, one of our familiars was disguised as a human and was handing them out in the business district." Ah. So that woman was a familiar...that leaves quite a few questions...which I shall save for later. "You got it at that time, Shirou. After you were attacked by the Fallen Angel, you called me while you were on the verge of death. You wished so hard that it summoned me. Usually my servants like Akeno and the others would be the ones to be summoned."

That time I was impaled by the _Spear of Light_…so I wished really hard.

When my hand was covered in blood, the thing that came to mind was crimson red. A beautiful color.

I strongly craved for the girl with crimson hair, Rias Gremory.

So then, the person with red hair that appeared at the end of that dream—no, the one that appeared at the end of that incident really was Senpai.

"When I was summoned and saw you, I knew right away that you were a Sacred Gear possessor and that you were attacked by a Fallen Angel. But there was a problem. Shirou, you were on the brink of death. Not just Devils, but humans also die if impaled by a Fallen Angels spear of light. Shirou, you were in that kind of condition. So I decided to save your life."

Wait. So Senpai was the one who saved me? That's why I'm still alive...

"Although, as a Devil. Shirou, you were reborn as a Devil of mine, Rias Gremory's servant. As my servant Devil."

And just like that I was off this train. I was about to voice my disagreement when black wings sprouted out of everyone's backs. These were unlike Yuuma's wings which were black and feathery. They were more like bat wings than anything. I looked behind me when I felt a strange sensation on my own back. I was shocked to see I, too, had grown a pair of bat wings.

"Let's introduce everyone anew. Yuuto." Rias-senpai gestured.

Kiba smiled kindly. "My name is Kiba Yuuto. As you already know, I'm a second year like you, Fujimura Shirou-kun. Umm, I'm a Devil too. Nice to meet you."

Koneko bowed her head slightly. "…First year. …Toujou Koneko. Pleased to make your acquaintance. …I'm a Devil too."

Himejima-senpai bowed her head as well. "My name is Himejima Akeno, and I'm in third year. I'm also the vice-president of this Occult Research Club. Nice to meet you. Even though I'm like this, I'm also a Devil. Ufufu."

And last but not least was Rias-senpai. "And I'm their master as well as being a Devil from the House of Gremory, Rias Gremory. My house holds the rank of a Duke. Let's get along from now on, Shirou."

I had a little complaint to raise. "Pass."

Rias-senpai blinked, no doubt being surprised my response. "Wha-"

"There's no way I'm going to become your servant is what I'm saying." I gave a thumbs down. "I can't lower myself to being a servant because that would mean there's always someone above me. That will just get in the way of my dream." I pointed my left index finger towards the sky. "That's because my dream is one that transcends all others! My dream-no-My destined GOAL is to become the strongest person in existence! Strong enough to surpass God Himself!" I managed to keep a straight face as I felt a small surge of pain. Apparently saying His name is the cause. Makes sense considering I'm a Devil now.

I basked in the stunned silence for the one minute it lasted. I grew confused when I saw Rias-senpai get a confident smile on her face. This confusion was understandable as she should've been more disappointed than anything that I wouldn't be her servant. "Anywho. I shall be leaving now. Thanks for bringing back to life and all. Buh-bye." I turned to leave when I heard my senpai's voice behind me.

"But you know, there ARE ranks among Devils. It's something called peerage. I also have one. The place of your birth and your family background plays a big role in it, but there are also Devils who have risen up."

I halted my walk halfway to the door. I turned my head slightly to look back at Rias-senpai. "Go on."

Rias-senpai seemed much more confident as she spoke. "A majority of the pure Devils were killed in the war that took place long time ago. Because of that, Devils started to desperately gather servants. Well, Devils don't have the strength or the influence they originally had when they leaded their armies. Even so, we need to keep on increasing the number of the Devils. Just like humans, the Devils split in genders of male and female and are able to give birth. But even with normal birth, it will take a lot of time to get back to the same population as before. After all, Devils have a very low birth rate. Then we won't be able to stand up against the Fallen Angels. So we find humans who seem to have potentials and make them into Devils...As our servants, that is."

I growled in annoyance. "So I am just a servant." I was considering leaving again by that point.

"Oh, don't make a face like that. Now, I will get to the point. Since this only increases the number of servants, it doesn't increase the number of powerful Devils. So the Devils decided to give chances for power to reincarnated Devils— those who were reincarnated from a human. They decided to give peerage to reincarnated Devils as well, as long as they are powerful. Because of that, there are many Devils in humans' society. There are also numbers of Devils like myself who came to humans' society as well. Shirou, even though you haven't realised it, I'm sure you have passed by some Devils in this town."

Yeah. I kinda figured that out by now.

"Though there are humans who can distinguish which ones are Devils and those who can't. A person with a strong greed or a person who wants to get help from Devils usually can distinguish us strongly. We are usually summoned by the ones who can distinguish between them, through the leaflet with magic-circle that we give out. There are people like you, Shirou, who can distinguish Devils but don't believe in our existence, but a majority of them usually believe it if they see our demonic-powers."

I can understand that. I was literally speared through the chest and healed by the power of 'Naked Magic' and I STILL didn't initially believe you. I guess the reason I summoned her was because of my greed I suppose...or would it be envy? Whichever. I wanted to be the strongest no matter what.

"So you're saying I can also rank up and get stronger as a Devil, right? I would be able to fight stronger guys as I rank up?" Perhaps one of the people I fight would be Yuuma or whatever her real name was. I would take real pleasure in kicking her smug ass.

Rias-senpai nodded. "Correct. It's not impossible. Of course, it would take a lot of time and effort to achieve though."

Then another question...from the erotic side of my mind. "And this peerage...if I were to rank up and get my own...I could supposedly make my own harem? I'd be able to do ecchi things with them?"

Rias-senpai nodded again. "Yes. I think it's fine if it's with your servants."

In my mind: YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSS~!

I kept my cool on the outside...there may have been a bit of a perverted grin, but nobody seemed to mind. Well, except maybe Koneko-chan who was giving me a look that clearly said "...You disgusting pervert.".

I continued thinking about my situation. "So strength AND beautiful women, eh? Count me in!"

"You are alright with being my servant, right?" I nodded in response to the crimson-haired girl's question.

"Yes, Rias-senpai!" I was burning with determination. I would not only be able to get much stronger and fight stronger people, but I'd also be able to create my own harem if I worked hard enough! Life is sweet!

"Wrong." Rias-senpai said in a commanding way. "You will have to call me 'Buchou'."

I raised an eyebrow. I thought about it. "How about _Onee-sama_?" I was half-joking, but the more ecchi part of my mind wants to call some older sister-type 'Onee-sama'. However, I fear this minor goal may never be achieved.

Rias-senpai thought about it seriously for a while, and then shook her head. "Hmm. That also sounds wonderful, but since I operate mainly in the school, being called _Buchou_ has a better ring to it."

"What about _'Gremory-hime'_?" I was surprised to see Rias-senpai frown a little, as if something about it bugged her. "OK OK. Buchou it is."

Rias-se-I mean _Buchou_ seemed satisfied. "This is Occult Research Club after all, and everyone here also calls me that."

I grinned. "Alright then. I, Shirou Fujimura, hereby declare myself as your servant, Buchou. As long as I'm given the opportunity to get stronger, I will have no objections." But if your orders ever get in the way of my goal, I won't hesitate to disobey them...is what I thought to myself. It wouldn't matter either way. It's a mutually beneficial contract. I serve her and in exchange she allows me to get stronger. I am basically a tool, but that makes no difference.

I will keep the promise I made to the first girl who ever claimed my heart.

So from now on, I am Shirou Fujimura. Second year at Kuoh Academy. A member of the Occult Research Club...

...and a Devil.

**WOOHOO! I have once again gone over the 9000 word mark! My fire's still burning! I would like to once again thank **Triplesquidge** for helping me and checking each chapter and correcting me on a bunch of important stuff.**

**This message is for you, buddy! You are da bomb and clearly the more skilled of us two! Without you, Devil Reborn would not exist! You da best, buddy!**

**To everyone else:**

**Thanks for the reads and reviews!**

**Bye-Bye!**


	4. Chapter 3: Contracts

**And wow! I made it to chapter three! Time to celebrate~! So if you enjoyed the last chapter, let's hope this one is even more enjoyable!...I really don't have anything else to add here.**

**Anyone ever read the manga Rabbit Doubt? Some effed up shite right there. To my fellow psychological genre manga fans, go and read it. To everyone else...eh. It's not the MOST psychologically crazy thing you'd ever read, but it's still a lil bit crazy...I just wish the environment was larger like in Judge which I am ASSUMING has a connection to Rabbit Doubt but may not be explained for quite some time.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Highschool DxD or anything related to it. All I own is Shirou Fujimura, the badass guy with a legendary Sacred Gear!**

**Chapter 3:**

**Contracts**

I let out a loud howl of excitement.

It was midnight and I was pedaling on my bicycle at full throttle.

It's been a few days since I was turned into a Devil by Buchou. Seeing as I could no longer live as a human, I gladly accepted this change especially after Buchou's promise that I would be able to fight strong people, get stronger, AND eventually build a harem! That last objective was more like a secondary objective, but it would be nice to fulfill nonetheless.

The reason I was peddling on my bike was because I was 'working'. It's what I've been doing every night since I joined the Occult Research Club. We always met at the old school building that served as our clubhouse every night. This is because night time is when Devils are at their best.

The reason the sun bothered me so much was also because I'm a Devil if it wasn't obvious enough. The stronger the concentration of light, the more dangerous it is for us Devils. The sun isn't powerful enough to kill us, but it is annoying. Light is apparently poisonous to Devils.

Makes sense that Angels and Fallen Angels, the enemies of Devils, would use weapons made out of light. Buchou told me to run away if I ever encounter them...

Like that's gonna happen.

I'm not gonna pass up the chance to get even with those bastards just because the red-head doesn't want to lose a chess piece. That and how am I supposed to get stronger if I don't try fighting more people? Regular push-ups and sit-ups can only do so much and the training is meaningless if I don't apply it to SOMETHING.

After a while, the sun stopped bothering me. I just got used to it over my first several days as a Devil.

Anywho, I've been working hard at being Rias Gremory's servant Devil so that someday **I** could have my own servant Devils. Since becoming a Devil, Buchou told me to study about the Devil's society and how it works...yeah...Not so big a fan of studying but I got the gist of everything so I'm not too bad off. I was ordered to start handing leaflets like Buchou had her familiar doing when I was on my date with Yuuma.

Every night when I go out, I keep being surprised when Mako-nee doesn't get mad about me getting home after she got home from work. According to Buchou, she did something to mess with my nee-san's head so she wouldn't take much notice...but I think she messed it up. The reason I think this is because whenever I come back, Makoto clicks her tongue and seems very annoyed about something. Other than that, I have to admit her powers are kinda cool.

I was rather surprised to see that the crimson-haired princess had quite a bit of authority at the academy. Apparently the academy and some portions of the town are _her_ territory. She controls the academy from behind the scenes. Personally, I prefer to be up front and blunt, but that's just me.

It seems like the person in the highest position in our academy have ties with the Devils and therefore can't oppose the people from the House of Gremory. The academy is just another one of Buchou's 'things'. I kept wondering just how high up Buchou's House was. I still didn't quite grasp the ranking system, but I'm sure they are VERY high up.

Thanks to this, there's nothing to blow up in my face for appearing at school after dark.

Oh yeah. Getting off-topic.

So ever since I became a Devil, I go on my bicycle everyday and posting leaflets inside mailboxes.

Although I would've preferred to use my badass wings to fly around and deliver these, Buchou said I shouldn't draw so much attention to myself. By using this device Buchou gave me to find greedy people (or whatever she said), I find where they live and deliver the leaflets. They use the magic circle on the leaflets and POOF. Instant Devil summoning. It sounds so simple on paper.

Another awesome thing about being a Devil is that nobody, not even cops, pay a bit of attention to me while I'm on duty. If only it worked in everyday encounters. It would make my days so much less annoying to not have to fight the same exact delinquents everyday. I like fighting STRONG people. People like those idiots just bore and annoy me.

So I keep bicycling everyday, the dots on my 'Greed Scanner' never running out. I suppose humans are just naturally greedy.

Once you make a wish, it apparently becomes an addiction to keep on wishing for other ones.

One limitation to contracts is that they can only be performed at night. Apparently nighttime is a recurring theme for Devils while daytime is the theme for Angels. I guess Fallen Angels would be somewhere in-between.

There's never a shortage of wishes despite all of the Devils carrying out contracts. Our work just keeps going on and on. If we complete enough of these dull things, we get acknowledged by some sort of Devil King guy (someone who I might add to the list of 'People I want to fight'). I just gotta keep on working and then I'll have my own harem in no time! Honestly, my objective of getting strong is higher on the list of priorities, but it would be nice to acquire a harem meanwhile, you know?

So for now I just gotta keep doing the little jobs until I'm high enough on the food chain to do some of the bigger jobs...

* * *

OK, a little BS what Buchou has told me.

One day, after school, I met up at the old schoolhouse with the others after splitting up with Kiryuu. That was when Buchou told me that handing out those stupid leaflets was the job of her familiars. THEY are supposed to do this day and night but apparently she wanted me to 'know what kind of job Devils have to do from the beginning'.

Wasted five days on that. So that's good to know.

But it was good to know I wasn't the only one who had to do that kind of stuff. Even though it's practically grunt work, Kiba and the others have had to do this as well. Kiba, Toujou Koneko-chan, Himejima-senpai are all servant Devils of Buchou, but they are also my Devil senpais. It doesn't matter though. Someday I'll surpass all of them! I won't stop until I'm strong enough to surpass even God Himself!

I still have to catch up though since they have a huge head start when it comes to experience as a Devil. I still don't even know what my Sacred Gear does and Buchou herself admitted she doesn't quite know what it is. She's still looking for clues as to which one it is. All we know for sure is that I'm not ENTIRELY defenseless against whatever tricks those Fallen Angel bastards pull.

But back to the Occult Research Club. I have to say I was a little surprised when Toujou and Himejima-senpai gave me their permission to call them 'Koneko-chan' and 'Akeno-san' respectively. I didn't feel very comfortable calling Kiba 'Yuuto' or 'Kiba-kun' so I'm only calling him Kiba. The only part that made it seem like a fair trade was letting them call me by MY first name as well. I had to admit I was a little uncomfortable. The only people who've ever called me by my first name have been Nee-san and Kiryuu (never actually called her 'Aika' since we tried dating...that was awkward I'll admit). My fan girls don't count cos I don't really know them.

It was a good sign that we were all getting along. Just because we were all pieces to be used by Buchou didn't mean we couldn't all be friends. The only annoying parts are when the Perverted Duo start getting on my back about calling the others by their first names. Kiryuu didn't seem to mind as much, but there were MANY innuendos and sexual harassment moments.

I considered telling Kiryuu or maybe Nee-san about my new secret life, but they probably wouldn't believe me anyway. Perhaps it was for the best. If I dragged them into this world, they would only be put in danger. I wasn't even in this world before and I still got killed before being resurrected. Being close to me is dangerous enough. So my secret life remains with me and the Occult Research Club for now.

As I made my way to the room on the second floor, I couldn't help but feel strange that I've gotten used to walking to that room after only about a week. I walked to the door and spoke to whomever was on the other side.

"I'm coming in."

I opened the door and walked in.

My first thought: Dark.

As I entered, I noticed that everyone else was there ahead of me. I wasn't too bothered. Never was when it came to being on time except when it came to school. Makoto would murder me if I intentionally came late to school. That's one of the many buttons I would never push.

Inside the room, the windows were covered and candles were lit on the floor, revealing a large magic circle.

I notice Buchou nod to me as I entered the room. "Good. You're here."

"So what am I doing today?" I was starting to get bored with handing out leaflets. The excitement of the thought of what I would do when I ranked up enough wore out after a while. I can stay excited only for so long.

Buchou smiled. "Your job of giving out leaflets is now done. Well done, Shirou."

FINALLY! "So I can finally start making contracts now?" I asked. I would knock this one right out of the ball park. Mark my words. Nothing will stand between me and my dream!

Buchou nodded. "Yes."

But then a thought occurred to me. "I won't be...like taking people's SOULS, will I? I don't think I'd have a clear conscience completing contracts." Hey, I admit to being a battle-hungry idiot sometimes, but I'm pretty sure taking someone's soul would be tantamount to killing somebody. I'd prefer not to do that unless they really deserve it. Making a contract with a Devil doesn't automatically make you evil.

Thankfully, Buchou shook her head. "That's an outdated custom. We just take an item that they give us and fulfill their wish to complete the contract." Ah. Sounds legit. It's equal exchange. Devils do a favor for somebody and they give up something in return. Then I realized it would've been rather cost ineffective if everyone had to give up their soul for contracts. Considering the amount of people who make contracts with Devils, there should've been thousands of bodies on the death count. "As of now, your work handing out leaflets is finished. You can start your job as a Devil professionally."

Rock on!

Akeno waved me over to the center of the magic circle on the floor.

"Since this is your first time, we'll start small." Buchou said. "Yuuto got two contracts beforehand and is double-booked. It's hard to do both so I leave one to you."

Kiba was still smiling as usual. "I'll leave it to you, Shirou-kun."

Please don't call me Shirou-kun. I feel the strange urge to punch you in the face whenever you say that, stupid pretty boy.

I turned my attention to the magic circle as it started to emit blue and white lights.

"Is that-"

"Keep quiet, Shirou." Buchou commanded. I grunted, reluctantly obeying her order. "Akeno is currently inserting your carved seal into the magic-circle."

I was told that a carved seal was something of a family crest. The one in the circle on the floor must've been that of the "Gremory" family. And since Buchou's having one engraved into my hand, I guess this officially makes me Buchou's property. While being owned by a hot red-head would be somewhat appealing in an erotic sense, in this circumstance I can't say I like it. Even though I will easily disobey her if her commands get in my way, I still find it annoying to be someone's "property".

However, I understand of having a crest. The activation of demonic power is somehow related to this. Kiba and the others have these signs on their bodies in different sizes and it operates whenever they use their demonic-powers.

I thought about getting engraved with the same signs, but it seems like you have to learn how to control demonic-powers when you first become a devil, and then using demonic-power which creates natural phenomenon by coordinating it through the magic-circle after that...or some complicated BS like that. I hate thinking so much. It's so much simpler when I just have to punch something and everything works out.

"Shirou, put your palms towards there."

I lifted my my left hand and pointed it towards Buchou as told. She then began writing something on my palm with her fingers. It was some kind of charm.

If she's trying to pull some sort of voodoo-thing, I am going to be pissed.

She drew something reminiscent to the magic circle on the floor on my palm. It glowed blue and white just as the circle on the floor.

"This allows you to transport to the client's place instantly by making you go through the teleportation-type magic-circle. And when the contract is done, it lets you return to this room."

Ah. Pretty straightforward not to mention pretty damn handy. Oh what I wouldn't do if I had natural teleportation powers...but for now I would just settle for the magic circle.

"Akeno, are you ready?"

"Yes, Buchou."

Akeno stepped out of the magic circle.

Buchou then pointed towards the circle. "Now stand in the middle."

I obliged and went to the center of the magic circle on the floor. If anything, the circle began to glow even brighter, as if responding to my presence. I could feel a strange power flowing from the circle. I could feel it literally flowing THROUGH me. Apparently I should stop underestimating the power of Devils and the Gremory group.

"The magic-circle is responding to the client. You will be teleported to that location now. You already have the manual for what to do after getting teleported right?"

I nodded. "Yes."

"Good. Now get going and good luck." Buchou had a calming smile. I had to admit that it actually did calm me down. I just hoped that this didn't send me to the moon or something. I couldn't help but wonder if magic circles ever malfunctioned.

Well time to give a go at my first job! I'll definitely accomplish it!

I closed my eyes when the light became blindingly strong. I could literally FEEL myself being transported.

And then I wasn't there anymore.

* * *

Mission 1. START!...

Or it would as soon as I got a grasp on my surroundings.

I had to admit that the feeling of being teleported was incredibly exhilarating.

I opened my eyes in order to take in my surroundings. I must've been in the house of some rich people because this entrance hall was HUGE not to mention rather well-cleaned and fancy-looking.

"Oh, Mr. Deviiiiil~!" sang a very young and feminine voice. I turned to see a young girl, perhaps twelve or thirteen (possibly even fourteen), running up to me. She wore a red dress that only amplified her cuteness (No. Before you ask, I am not a lolicon, but I can appreciate cute things like children, puppies, girls, etc.) and was about three-fourths my size.

I never expected such a young girl to be a person to make a contract with a Devil.

The girl pouted slightly. "Awwww~! I wanted Yu-kun!" She seemed genuinely sad that Kiba was not the one she summoned. Apparently she was a regular customer.

I scratched the back of my head awkwardly. "Yeah. Sorry about that. Kiba was double-booked, so I got sent instead."

The girl quickly cheered up. "OK then! You're still as cute as Yu-kun so it's just as good."

I don't know what I find more annoying. The fact that I'm being compared to Kiba and that she called me 'cute' (NOT CUTE! BADASS! I'm BADASS) or the fact that I feel like I'm doing something wrong when a little girl looks up at me with such idolizing eyes. I'm a delinquent for Hell's sake. Why wouldn't she fear me...?

Instead, I simply said, "Thanks..." I then looked around. "Erm...what is it you want me to do exactly?"

"Sleep with me!"

...What?...WHAAAAAAT?!

The girl then puckered her lips and stood on her tiptoes to try and kiss me.

WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!

I backed away as quickly as I could, flattening myself against the wall opposite the weird child.

"H-Hey! I may be a Devil, but I don't go for younger kids! I'm not a damn lolicon!" I shouted while waving my hands frantically. I don't give a damn if it WAS my first mission and I had to make a good impression! There's no way I was going to sleep with a kid!

I was confused when I saw the girl's eye twitch and her fists clench. I've seen that look on Mako-nee enough to know that this was not going to be pleasant. Any moment now that girl was going to go on a bloodthirsty rampage, kicking the crap out of anyone in her way until she calmed down...

That's why I was surprised when the girl instead crawled into the fetal position and started crying.

"It's not faaaaaaaaaaiiiiir!" she cried as tears started rolling down the sides of her face.

E-Eh?...I'm not quite sure, but I think I did something wrong here...Wait a minute. If she was Kiba's regular...Oh he didn't! When I get back, Kiba and I are going to have a friendly discussion.

"Yu-kun was much nicer and even he wouldn't sleep with me! I'm gonna die a virgiiiiin!" Well never mind about that discussion then.

"...Eh?" I asked quietly. Then even louder, "EEEEEEHHH!?" I was truly shocked by what this child was saying. I wondered what exactly was going on here. I was uncertain how to act so I tried the slow and easy way. "U-Um...i-it's not the end of the world. I mean you're s-still a kid so you still have plenty of time once you're older-"

"I'M NINETEEN, ASSHOLE!"

"I understand that but-"

Wait...what?...

"Er...C-Could you repeat that?"

The girl was once again crying. "I'm nineteen..." She remained silent for a few moments before I realized she was still crying. "...Even so, I looked like I'm in middle or elementary school. It's not fair..."

"Oh." was all I could say. It's funny how the awkwardness of a situation can render you unable to think out proper statements of questions.

"It's the way it's been for all my life...I've always been young looking and I didn't even get a nice rack to make up for it..." She cried. "It's not FAIR! I can't even get a DEVIL to sleep with me! And they're supposed to be all about corrupting children and virgins!"

Wow. What a huge misconception of Devils. I wonder if I thought like that at some point.

I shook my head. "Well some Devils may be like that, but not all of them. Anyway isn't summoning a Devil of all things a bit drastic?"

The girl shook her head. "The only guys I know are either lolicons or aren't interested! I'm doomed to die alone!" She then continued to cry. Part of me told me to get the Hell out of there but the more gentlemanly of my mind was commanding me it just ain't right to leave a girl crying like this. Seriously. She hasn't even reached her peak yet and she's already giving up!

That pissed me off.

"I-!" She was silenced when I hit her right upside the head. "OW! What was that for?!" She was glaring daggers at me.

OK, the mission of stopping her crying succeeded, but now I have the mission of keeping an angry midget girl from clawing my eyes out.

"You don't just give up because things aren't working out for you!" I raised my defiant fist into the air. "If fate gets in your way, then you throw your best fist forward and knock its teeth out! I, too, have retained my virginity. It's a fact that has pained me every moment of my life since I first entered high school." The girl's eyes widened at the fact that I had never slept with anybody. "However, unlike you, I choose to continue beating fate into submission until it gets the Hell out of my way! That is what it means to truly want the amazing experience known as sex! Even if I'm alone, I will continue to fight! Even if things seem hopeless, someday we virgins will be virgins no more!" I meant for that rant to go on for much longer while I devised a plan to escape this nightmare without drawing attention, but I was interrupted when I heard the sound of sniffling.

I turned back to the girl to see she was crying again, but this time out of happiness.

"T-That was...beautiful..." She wiped the tears from her eyes. "But how do you still have hope? What keeps you moving forward?"

I smirked. "Easy. Because someday I will be the man who will surpass God Himself! I will grow more powerful than Heaven and Hell combined! I will cut through the fabric of space and time! Along this path, I will get the power to fulfill my other dream: TO BUILD THE ULTIMATE HAREM!" I then laughed in an exaggerated fashion. "I swear on all that is unholy that I shall fulfill this dream!"

The girl then wiped her eyes. "I believe in you, Mr. Devil-sama! You can do it!" She then started crying, determination in her eyes. "If you believe, then I shall too!"

"That's the way, sister...!" I trailed off, having no idea what this girl's name was.

"Kotone!"

"That's the way, sister Kotone-san!" We bumped our fists together. "Keep moving forward even if the universe itself tries to defy you!"

"YEAH! I WON'T GIVE UP! Someday I WILL find a man who will have sex with me who ISN'T a lolicon! I REFUSE TO DIE A VIRGIN!"

And with that, I felt the energy in the room light up the world...only to completely fade away a few minutes later, leaving the two of us in awkward silence. I just remembered the reason I was here in the first place. I was so wrapped up in my 'preaching' that I had forgotten to plan out what came after.

"Sooo..." I said awkwardly. "...I mean since I'm not going to sleep with you...what now?"

Kotone-san placed a finger on her chin. "...wanna play in our family's video game room?" Oh yeah. I had completely forgotten the fact we were in some rich guy's house.

I thought about it. "Depends. What games you got?"

"I have the Mass Effect Trilogy for PS3, Dynasty Warriors 8, a Xbox One, Kingdom Hearts 1-3 and Fate/Unlimited Codes among all other things."

"Fate/Unlimited Codes!? Bitchin'!"

And for the next several hours, I spent my time playing video games with a rich girl. Now I can say honestly that rich people have the most BADASS gaming rooms ever.

Unfortunately, my first contract became invalid because I didn't fulfill any of client's wishes.

* * *

The next day, after school, I was certain I was in the dog house.

I stood in the OCR's classroom with Buchou. She didn't say a single word. If she was mad, I couldn't blame her really. I mean I DID kind of waste an entire night playing video games with an underdeveloped 19-year-old woman. In Kiba's own words, a case like this one had never happened before. I could tell it was bad because his usual smile had become bitter.

Damn. I can't believe I got so distracted! If I keep slacking off like that, I'll never achieve my goal!

"Shirou..." Yep. Pretty sure she's pissed judging from the tone of her voice.

"Er...yeah?" Here we go.

"So you played video games with the client...what happened after that? What about the contract?" Ah...So she doesn't know the details...

I chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the back of my neck. I was more embarrassed than anything. "Well, you see...it kinda became invalid. To sum it up, she wanted to sleep with me, but I'm not a lolicon so I felt uncomfortable with it so..." Then I realized I was stalling. "And in the end we played video games until morning. Funny story, huh?" I laughed awkwardly once more. "Um...Sorry...hehehe..." Personally, I blame Type-Moon and Fate/Unlimited Codes for being SO DAMN ADDICTING!

There was an incredibly long and uncomfortable silence (mostly on my part).

She inhaled and I waited for some harsh, Devil judgement or something (I still didn't know THAT MUCH about stuff like this).

"…After the contract, we ask the client to fill in the questionnaire on the leaflet we gave them. We ask the client, "How was your contract with a Devil?". The questionnaire which is filled appears in this leaflet, but…" The crimson-haired princess the pulled out some sort of questionnaire for feedback or something...Wow. Devil jobs are more complex than I thought...I really miss the whole 'I-run-into-a-gang-and-punch-until-they-stop-moving' situations over this complicated stuff...

"…[It was fun. It was my first time having a good time like this. Shirou helped me see the light and I'd like to hang out with him again. I hope I can make a good contract with him next time. He's an amazing person.]" Buchou said. "This is the questionnaire filled by the client."

I felt my face grow warm with embarrassment.

Kotone-san...even though we hardly know each other...y-you say so nice.

"Shirou? Are you alright?" I realized that Buchou was staring at me with a strange look...curiosity maybe.

I shook my head, rubbing my face to try and remove some of the redness. "I-It's nothing! I-I'm not touched or e-embarrassed or anything!" I'm really not, Baka!

"Anyway," Buchou continued, ignoring my outburst. "This is the first time I received a feedback like this. I wasn't sure what to do first. That's why I put on a weird expression because I didn't know how to react to this."

Oh, so she wasn't pissed. That would be so much more satisfying if I had completed a contract.

"To Devils, what's important is that we actually make a contract with humans who summoned us. We then receive the price from them. That's how Devils have lived for a long time ago. …I didn't know how to react because this is the first time I encountered an incident like this. You might have failed as a Devil but the client was happy with you…" Buchou had a puzzled expression on her face. "But it's interesting. That is certain. There wasn't any Devil like you, but you really are an interesting boy. You might become the number 1 Devil for unexpected things." I'll take that as a compliment. "But remember to do the basics. You make contracts with the clients, you grant their wish, and then you receive the price. Okay?"

"Roger, bosslady!" I replied. I then realized my mistake. "I mean. Roger, Buchou!"

So I may have failed, but Buchou isn't going to incinerate me or something so it's all good I guess.

But just because I screwed up once doesn't mean I'm going to screw up again. I swear upon my life that I SHALL succeed in my next task! I SWEAR IT!

* * *

Mission 2...START!

This time I will not fail!

I was once again doing a job, but this time it's one of my own. Buchou said someone finally answered one of my leaflets, but judging from the location, it may have been someone who came across one of my leaflets by mistake. It's kinda depressing that someone actually threw theirs away. Then again, who wants to summon this guy right here? I AM the [Demon King of Kuoh] after all, although that name means little now that I am actually a Devil...a low-ranked one. I'm far from the Demon King right now, but someday I will surpass even the holder of that title himself.

But back to my job. I was surprised to see that I was inside what was apparently some sort of bedroom. Whoever had been here apparently cleaned up rather well because everything was just so nice and tidy.

"Ahem..." A voice coughed.

Oh right. My client.

I turned and bowed, determined to be a good boy and to do it right this time.

"Are you...the Devil I summoned...?" The voice, a woman's, sounded like she had to force those words out of her mouth. I looked up and my eyes widened.

She was a tall and buxom woman with long, navy blue hair that obscured her right eye and had brown eyes.

Her attire consisted of a violet, trenchcoat-like top with a wide collar, a matching miniskirt, and black heeled shoes. The trenchcoat top was open at her chest, giving view to her breasts and cleavage. She also wore a gold necklace around her neck.

She clutched her right harm with her left hand and had an embarrassed look on her face, as if she couldn't believe she had to resort to summoning a Devil for whatever she needed to have done.

All in all, I only had one word to describe her appearance: STRIIIIIIKE~!

The best part was she was an Onee-sama~!

She raised an eyebrow and I realized that I had a goofy expression on my face. I quickly shook my head and returned to my serious expression.

"The answer to your question would be yes. Is it fair to assume that you are my client?"

The beautiful Onee-sama nodded, still embarrassed about something. There was a long silence between the two of us after that. I, not being one for those types of silences, chose to smash it to pieces.

"So was there something you needed done? Housework? Advice on life? Anything?!" I sighed. "I mean unless it's some kind of sexual act, I don't see why you can't just up and say it!...Wait. It's _not_ a sex act, right? Cos-"

"No!" The Onee-sama answered in a way that sounded neither angry nor upset. Mostly just embarrassed. Her blush made her seem much cuter than before. "Just...just come see a movie with me!" I blinked, surprised.

"That...that's it?" Well, I'd like to say I dodged a bullet with that one after my encounter with Kotone-san, but I'm actually a little disappointed that this Onee-sama didn't want to seduce me. Oh well. "Sure. I can totally do that."

The Onee-sama nodded. "G-Good..." She reached forward and for a second I thought she was going to attack. I was halfway through raising my other fist when I realized she was just grabbing my hand, holding it as if she had never done such a thing before. Despite that, she had a surprisingly strong grip, definitely stronger than most normal humans. "L-Let's go..."

And then she dragged me out of her house to go see a movie.

* * *

Why my client chose a sappy romance movie, I had no clue.

Regardless, I ended up being dragged to the movie theaters by my client to see something along the lines of "Me Plus You Equals Love" or some cheesy BS title like that. It was a movie about a student who was in love with his admittedly hot teacher about ten-fifteen years older than him. I didn't really follow along. It just got too disgustingly sappy and I was severely resisting the urge to hurl.

My client enjoyed the movie though if her tears were something to judge by. Her previous embarrassment slowly faded away as the movie went on. Apparently this Onee-sama was into romance movies. Out of boredom, I checked on her every now and then to see how she was doing and her eyes never left the screen. I had to stop checking because at some point in the movie, my client had decided to wrap her arms around mine, apparently forgetting I was just the Devil she summoned, and erasing any chances of me checking on her without her noticing.

I had no choice but to actually WATCH the movie and while I didn't understand much of what was going on, even I had felt the ending was sad or at least bittersweet.

Although the protagonist of this film was in love with his teacher, bonding with her and starting to have her gain feelings for him as well, he convinced her to reconcile with her husband who could provide her a better future and was genuinely in love with her still. The protagonist ended up crying, happy he did what his heart told him but hurting at the same time...Couldn't tell you why the teacher broke it off with her husband in the first place but oh well...So yeah. That is how I spent these past two hours.

Even after we returned to the lobby, my Onee-sama client was still trying, dabbing her eyes with tissues that she produced seemingly out of thin air.

"So what now?" I asked. My client seemed to realize she was still holding onto my arm and let go, once again expressing embarrassment plainly on her face. She quickly released me and took stepped away.

"J-Just shut up and follow me!" She grabbed my hand and then we were moving again.

Then my client started dragging me all across town. First we stopped at the mall. She dragged me around, staring through all of the windows of all the shops like a kid in a candy store. We eventually walked into one of the clothing stores and I had the vaguest sense of déjà vu. I remember doing something suspiciously similar to this before...

I subconsciously rubbed where my old chest wound had been.

My client seemed even more excited as she walked into the changing room with various outfits and dresses. She didn't say anything, but I assume she expected me to wait outside for her.

And so I did, feeling like I've done something like this before.

"I'm coming out." My Onee-sama client announced before the door to the dressing room opened. I stood at attention.

I had to admit she was rather stunning.

She wore a long, floral sundress that somehow gave her more of a natural sexual appeal than her purposefully tight trench coat-like top while still emphasizing her amazing bust along with sandals. I gave a big thumbs up, thankfully not excited enough to have a nosebleed.

"You look amazing." I admitted, blushing slightly. Normally I would just be silent and give small answers to whether someone looked good in something, but this was a random client who I would probably NEVER meet again in my normal human activities.

My client blushed and crossed her arms behind her back. "R-Really?" She then shook her head, as if taking back her question before disappearing back into the changing room.

What was that about? I mean is she really so embarrassed about summoning a Devil? If so, WHY DO IT IN THE FIRST PLACE THEN!?

I waited a bit longer as my client once again changed into another outfit before walking out the door of the changing room again.

This time she came blushing more deeply, wearing a sexy red dress and ruby-red high heels. "W-Well?"

I rubbed my chin. "Well I don't think anything could look less than hot on you!" And here I was thinking the woman's face couldn't flush any more than before. Clearly I was wrong as her face became the same color as tomatoes.

"B-Baka! S-Shut up!" She then disappeared again into the changing room. I just couldn't figure this chick out. She's asking for me to do stuff, but she seems like she's trying to be pissed about getting complimented by a Devil. I mean she DOES know I'm not gonna really take her soul, right?

And the pattern continued repeating itself like that for a while. The beautiful Onee-sama would change into a beautiful outfit and ask my opinion before blushing and disappearing again, sometimes with an embarrassed insult.

It went on like that for around an hour before my client eventually came out in her original tight outfit and the other clothes she had tried on in her arms. "L-Let's go." She walked right past me, not paying me a single glance. I waited as she paid for the clothes and carried them around in shopping bags as we departed the store.

I trailed behind her with my arms behind my head. "So where to now?"

My client blushed again. "J-Just shut up! I don't want to hear your voice!"

That does it! I was pissed. I have taken it the entire trip, but I wasn't taking it anymore. "OK! What-THE FUCK- is your problem?! What the Hell did I do wrong, huh?!"

My client face-palmed, as if I was the one being a total jerk. "I can't believe I was lonely enough to summon a Devil!"

"Well I-Wait, what? 'Lonely'?" I asked, my angry turning into confusion. My client tensed, as if realizing her slip before shaking her head.

"Never mind. Your contract is over. Just...just go home or whatever..." My client sighed. I was about to oblige to her request and just forget the whole thing when-

"FUJIMURA! We finally found you!"

Oh great. What relieves the tension more than 'clowns'?

In a second, we were surrounded by a bunch of stereotype thugs resembling delinquents whose asses I have so gracefully handed to them before.

I scratched my head, sighing as I stepped in front of my client. "Geez. You guys sure know how to ruin a guy's already shitty mood."

"Shut up, Fujimura! We're-" That delinquent then noticed my client standing behind me with a look that clearly revealed his less-than-paragon intentions. He grinned as he looked back to his comrades. "Hey guys, I know who we're gonna do when we're through with Fujimura!"

I stared. "Don't you mean wh-"

"I know what I said!"

"Ah." I then readied my fighting stance. I want to see how much more efficient my new Devil strength made me in combat. "So what's say we skip the witty banter and just get to me kicking your ass?"

The more experienced delinquents who had been easily beaten by me often enough began conversing with each other and then their speaker, causing him to click his tongue in annoyance.

"OK. It looks like the boys want to forgo on the fight today!" He said. "So I'll give you a choice: You can just leave your girlfriend with us and leave, or you can stay, get your ass kicked, and watch us and your girl!"

Well, they are TECHNICALLY getting smarter, but they are stupid as Hell still. I looked back at my client and my eyes widened at the look in her eye. It was one of absolute emptiness. As if she was expecting to be abandoned in her time of need and prepared to act accordingly.

"How about I got with option 3: NONE OF THE ABOVE!" I shouted back at them. "I'd rather die than abandon this beautiful Onee-sama! I DO have my pride as a man after all! To leave her behind to garbage like you would make me someone LOWER than garbage!"

"Then DIE!" I didn't have much time to reflect on how much of a badass I was as the first delinquent charged with a wooden practice sword.

I sighed before turning back to my client. She had a surprised look on her face and a hand over her heart. Yep. I am a total badass.

"Hey. Would you mind closing your eyes for a sec? This will be over soon." My client stared at me, eyes filled with suspicion before nodding. She closed her eyes as I asked. I then turned back to our 'company', cracking my knuckles. "One second."

OK. So I ended up being off by nine seconds, but it was still impressive.

I didn't tell my client to open her eyes until I guided her past the unconscious bodies of my vict-I mean-er-'opponents' if they were strong enough to be referred to as such.

We walked side-by-side, neither saying a word. God (Ouch!) I hate awkward silences.

"Thank you."

I stared in absolute shock at my client's thanks. She noticed and turned away, blushing yet again.

I had to think fast! I didn't want the awkward silence to return. "Soooo...can I ask why we've been doing all this stuff we've been doing all day?"

The woman raised an eyebrow at my question. "Really? You haven't realized we've been on a date by this point? Have you never been on a date before?"

I winced a little, once again subconsciously rubbing the old wound I had received courtesy of Yuuma. "Well...it didn't end too well." I then tensed when I realized what she had said. My face heated up unbelievably quick at the realization. "D-D-DATE?!"

Apparently my reaction had been funny because my client put her hand over her mouth, trying to suppress her giggles. "My, you really ARE innocent, aren't you?"

"HEY!"

Her smile became a sad one rather quickly. I felt a feeling in my chest that mirrored the sadness in her expression. "I suppose you're not like him..."

"Like who?" I asked, curious as to what she was talking about.

My client sighed. "Well. Long story short and simple, I used to have a boyfriend who I really shouldn't have been seeing. I wasn't supposed to give my first time away, I was deeply in love with him so I didn't mind the consequences. Even though I didn't want to, I ended up leaving my family as a result of my actions, expecting to be comforted in my sorrow by the man I loved. What do you know, the bastard dumps me and leaves me, having gotten what he wanted from me. Because I was a lovestruck idiot, I ended up sad and alone."

I blinked, completely stopping in my tracks. "Whoa...I...I'm not quite sure how to respond to that. Just...damn. I can see why...Actually, I still don't see why you've been rude to me this entire evening. Hell, why go out at all? I'd figure that you'd become embittered with men and love in general and become a nun or something."

My client's smile became a bit sadder and I feared I messed up royally. "Well, I admit I was a little bitter, but even after I found some good friends, I still felt lonely. I got fed up with it and decided to use the services of a Devil for company. Same experience but no chance of hurt and betrayal."

"That sounds depressing." I said bluntly. I wasn't gonna lie. "I mean, does it really help?"

My client shook her head. "No. Just reminded me how empty I felt inside."

Oh dear Maou! Now I'm definitely depressed! No joke or wisecrack is gonna get me out of this. I mean...damn...

And then my conscience took over my speech. "Hey. I might not known much about romance and stuff like that, but if you ever need someone to hang out with, just summon me right up and I'll be happy to help out."

My client's eyes widened slightly before her expression shifted back into the smile I liked to see. She nodded.

"Thank you."

"Shirou." I said quickly.

"What?"

"That's my name. My name is Shirou." I figured if we were going to interact on a regular basis, we'd best know each others name.

My client bowed her head slightly. "And I am Kalawarner. Despite the fact you're a Devil, it's good to meet you."

Kalawarner?...Nice name. She does seem a bit foreign so it would explain why her name seems a little different from the norm. Apparently I'm rather capable at befriending my clients.

"Do you want me to take you home, Kalawarner-san?" I asked. Kalawarner's face flushed. I considered what I said and blushed lightly. "B-Baka! Not like that! Do you want me to walk you there?!"

Kalawarner-san shook her head. "N-No. It's fine. I've taken up enough of your time as it is. And it's just Kalawarner. You don't have to use honorifics."

"OK then. Later, Kala-Wait a minute." I paused. Kalawarner stared.

"What?"

"I just realized something. Out of all the possible people you could summon for a date, why did you summon a guy who's not even out of high school?" It's kinda weird when you think about it. "I mean a hot Onee-sama like you could get any guy you wanted, you wouldn't even have to look for a Devil. If you asked, the guy would probably throw themselves at your feet."

Kalawarner's smile became more teasing as a light blush was all that colored her cheeks. "About that...well let's just say I have a thing for younger men. And with a Devil, it's not illegal or morally wrong since it's a contract. Plus I'm actually satisfied with the one I summoned." She gave me a wink before grabbing all of her bags. "You are one of the manliest men I've ever met, Shirou." With that, Kalawarner left, leaving me stunned and confused.

Was she...Was she just hitting on me?

* * *

_Later..._

**Kalawarner's POV...**

Suffice to say, I was in a much better mood when I met up with the others. I honestly didn't know what I had been expecting when I summoned a Devil earlier.

I was a little unsettled when I learned Azazel-sama occasionally summoned a Devil to hang out with and indulge in his habits of video games and motorbike racing (how he had the time for it all, I would never know)...but Shirou was honestly kind of hot.

Don't get me wrong, it's not like I'm smitten with him or anything! He's just the kind of young guy I'd be interested in is all!

Great, now my face is turning red. I have to calm down or the others will start prying.

Think calm thoughts, Kalawarner. Caaaaalm thoughts. Don't think about that well-toned bod or how strong he is or-DAMN IT!

It ended up taking me a half hour before I could trust myself to walk into our base at the old church. I had to, otherwise Mittelt would never let me hear the end of it. I loved her like a little sister, but I had to admit she was childishly obnoxious sometimes.

We chose this place because Azazel-sama had told us to keep an eye on some Sacred Gear-user who had yet to awaken. I was honestly surprised when Kokabiel-sama told us that that same Sacred Gear-user had to be killed. Raynare was especially surprised that such an order came from Azazel-sama. It would be one thing if the Sacred Gear-user had definitely joined one of the other factions or if he had killed a Fallen Angel, but just to suddenly order someone to die seemed oddly out of character. It didn't help that KOKABIEL-SAMA of all people was the one to deliver it. He had such an un-trustable face honestly.

I also found myself slightly amused when I noticed Raynare's reluctance to accept the order at first. If I had to guess, she had started to like their target prior to that point. If it would blossom into love, we would never know as he is now dead. Definitely dead. Raynare told us herself that she skewered him like a shish kabob. Didn't seem happy about it either. Not entirely broken up, but she seemed like she had just had to have a pet dog put down. Something along those lines.

Hmm...When I think about it, maybe I should talk to her about it.

As it turned out, I didn't have to.

When I walked into the church, I was surprised by the immediate seriousness of the atmosphere. My three friends stood near the back of the church.

Raynare had a slightly humiliated look while Mittelt had a smug one, like she had just got done teasing Raynare about some sort of failure. Dohnaseek had a hand over his face, like he was tired just listening to them bicker.

"What's going on?" seemed like the logical question to ask.

Dohnaseek turned to me and nodded. "Ah, Kalawarner. I see you've returned from your 'errands'." I flinched a little. I think he suspected what I had been up to, but I don't think he cared as long as it didn't get in the way of our plans. And if he didn't, no point in bringing it up. "We were just discussing-"

"-how Raynare failed the ONE JOB she had!" Mittelt smirked, taking enjoyment in Raynare's failure, mostly because of her embarrassment about it. She meant nothing seriously malicious by it, but I still felt tempted to smack her upside the head.

I blinked. "What do you mean?"

Dohnaseek adjusted his hat over his eyes. "Apparently, shortly after Raynare left the boy she had just 'killed', he was turned into a Devil."

I could feel my heart beat harder inside my chest. "What?"

"Hey! It's not my fault that that Gremory bitch saved Shirou! I killed him!"

S-Shirou?! N-No! Don't panic, Kalawarner. It might be a different Shirou.

I silently thanked whatever deity out there that I left that summoning circle of mine back home.

"I think you went easy on him!" Mittelt teased. "I mean it's obvious you li-"

"I DON'T LIKE HIM!" Raynare screamed as if she had been doing it for a while. If you don't feel anything, then why are you blushing? "Damn it...if Azazel-sama finds out about this, he'll never love me!"

"S-So this 'Shirou' person..." I said, stepping in. "What does he look like anyway?" I felt everyone's gazes snap towards me. Shit, I think I just screwed myself over. My heart only started again when I heard Mittelt laugh again. She then slipped me a photo she had kept hidden somewhere.

"Even though it was 'just a mission', Raynare still kept a photo~!"

"SHUT UP! All I said was that I had fun hanging out with him and that's it!" I turned my attention to the photo that my shorter 'sister' handed me and I felt my heart stop again. It was a picture of a boy standing awkwardly next to Raynare in her disguise as 'Yuuma Amano'. The boy next to her was disturbingly familiar.

Same white hair. Same dark-blue eyes. Same look like he has no skills when it comes to romance.

Yep. That is definitely Shirou.

I went out on a date with a target.

And the worst part was that I don't mind that. He's still fun to be around and I don't know how to react to thought of him dying...for the second time apparently. He was the first man in a long time I actually enjoyed being around (Dohnaseek doesn't count because we're more like work friends).

"So what will we do about him?" I asked, hiding any and all emotion under a mask of seriousness. "Do we kill him?"

Please say no. Please say no. Please say no.

Raynare thought about it for several seconds before shaking her head. "It's too dangerous now. If we kill him now, we might risk the wrath of the Gremory family." Oh thank God. "While it's annoying how he didn't die like I wanted him to, we still have that 'other person' coming."

I nodded.

Ah yes. That nun who uses the Sacred Gear known as Twilight Healing. I had to admit that I felt a little bad for her.

Kicked out of the church and now she's literally walking to her death, unaware of Azazel-sama's plans...which also came to us through Kokabiel-sama. Somehow it made me feel worse when it came from that creepy-faced guy.

She was supposed to be arriving soon. Maybe tomorrow.

Why do I feel so tired all of a sudden? Maybe I'll call up Shirou tomorrow and see if he's up for another date...

**CHAPTER 3-COMPLETED! After a good few weeks, I have arrived with chapter 3 of Devil Reborn! HAHAHA! BET NONE OF YOU WERE EXPECTING THAT! So yeah...Kalawarner has a thing for younger guys in this story! What do you think? Huh huh?!  
**

**I thank you for the reads and reviews!**

**Bye-Bye!**


	5. Chapter 4: Friends and Nuns

**I'm sorry about the delays...lost internet for a long while...on the bright side, as a gift, I have TWO chapters for you! **

**I'm happy that this story has reached chapter 4! I still want to thank my buddy Triplesquidge for all the help he's given me! To Devil Reborn!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except OC's.**

**Chapter 4:**

**Friends and Nuns**

**Shirou's POV...**

The good news: I did technically complete my second contract.

The bad news: I forgot to collect my payment from Kalawarner after everything that happened to the other day.

Buchou seemed a little tired at my mistake, but not quite angry. The same puzzled expression from before was on her face, but she didn't seem as angry as she could've been. It was mostly because, once again, my client had given me a positive review on the questionnaire she received.

I was going to have to ask Kalawarner for the payment for the previous job next time I see her. Maybe that'll make up for the original mistake. Really though, I am not off to a good start. I failed the first job and I forgot to receive the payment for the second.

Damn! I'll never rise through the ranks if things keep going on like this!

So I was just sitting on the park bench, blowing off some steam, cursing God for creating the sun that exhausts me so. I think the first thing I do when I surpass God will be to extinguish the sun. Long term consequences be damned.

Ha! I wish. I might be selfish enough to do it, but total darkness would bum me out a little after a while.

I sighed. I was just bored right now. Not much to do until I get summoned for a contract again later tonight. So I was just sitting and-

"HAWAA!" I heard a voice scream behind me as I heard something hit the ground. I turned, curious, to look behind me to see a blonde-haired Sister laying face-down on the ground. I really wanted to know how clumsy she was to fall down like that. There wasn't a single bump or rock anywhere! "Owww...Why did I trip?" That's what I want to know!

I was about to ask whether or not she was okay when I ended up looking between her legs. Her skirt was short enough to reveal her pure white panties underneath.

I preemptively plugged up my nose to keep the blood from gushing from it.

Shit! I'm looking at the panties of a Sister! Even though I'm a Devil, it feels like I'm doing something morally wrong. Like I'm defiling her with my eyes.

Ah, damn. What should I do right now?

_"She's pure and defenseless!"_ screamed the tiny Devil Shirou on my shoulder. _"She's free eye candy! Not like you're hurting anybody!"_

I stared at the tiny Devil me. "That's a fair point I guess, but shouldn't I help her up?" I then turned to my other shoulder to see nobody there. "Er...shouldn't there be-?"

"_You're a Devil remember? Why would there be an Angel Shirou?"_

Ah. That was a fair point. A better question would be whether or not I'm going insane right now due to the moral conflict I am undergoing?

Ah to Hell with it!

I walked over to the Sister with a mildly worried/awkward expression on my face. "Er...are you okay?" I gave her my hand to help her up.

"Ah. Thank you."

Her voice sounded very young. She seemed to be just around my age. Maybe just a bit younger.

I was about to say something else when a sharp gust of wind blew the Sister's veil off her head. Her blonde hair which was hidden underneath fell on her shoulders. It may have been a trick of the light, but I could've sworn she was sparkling.

I stared for several seconds before snapping out of it, unsure why I was entranced in the first place.

I picked her veil off the ground nearby and handed it back to her. I then realized I was still staring at her and panicked. I had to change the subject. "O-Oh! Your suitcase!"

Smooth, Shirou. Reeaaal smooth.

The Sister knelt down by her suitcase that was currently open with articles of scattered clothing around it. "It's fine. I can get it myself."

"Then I'll help." I offered. I knelt down beside the Sister and began picking up and folding clothes before putting them back into the suitcase. I only paused when I came to the most interesting article. A pair of pure white panties. I felt my cheeks heat up with embarrassment.

T-They were so soft!

The Sister screamed from embarrassment as she quickly snatched the panties from my hands and shoved them back into the suitcase. When she bent over...I saw them again around her legs. "I-I'm sorry!"

I quickly averted my gaze upward to avoid giving myself a nosebleed and from looking without permission.

The Sister turned to me with an embarrassed expression on her face. "S-sorry...You saw a bad side of me..."

Actually...it was kinda nice...really nice...

"So, you traveling?" It was the only question I could think of. She didn't seem to be from around here and it seemed like a good way to get the ball rolling on this conversation rather than the subject of her panties. Despite not being a busty Onee-sama, I felt compelled to talk to this girl.

The Sister shook her head. "No. That's not it. I was appointed to the church in this town… You must be a resident of this town." She bowed her head. "It's a pleasure to meet yo-A-Are you alright?"

She asked this because I had suddenly leaped to my feet and crossed my arms in defense. It was a habit. I was used to getting tricked by the harmless damsel in distress and led into an ambush. Even though I didn't feel that this girl could hurt a fly, I still had the powerful reflex to defend myself. I blushed from absolute embarrassment myself. "It's nothing."

The Sister seemed relieved at this. "I have been in trouble since I got here. Ummm…I can't speak Japanese that well…I was lost and other people couldn't understand what I was saying…" She held her hands to her chest with a sad expression on her face.

So she can't speak Japanese. The reason I must be able to understand her must be because of this unique ability Buchou told me that Devils have called "Language". The moment you become a Devil, it doesn't matter where you go, everyone can understand what you're saying. Whether they speak English, Spanish, German, Japanese, etc., they will be able to understand you and you will be able understand them.

I honestly didn't entirely believe it until now. I didn't think much of it during my English class when I started to excel because I actually studied. Guess there was more to it than that. Nobody really paid attention to it but apparently some of my fan girls adored me more for 'being an academic'. Maybe I didn't notice it because I SPOKE the language easily but the English characters still remained the same.

So she was looking for the church, huh?...Is she talking about the one on the edge of town?

And suddenly my mouth acted on its own. "If you're looking for the church, I probably know where it is." Shut up, me! "I can take you there if you want." I didn't know it was still used though. I visited the place once before I became a Devil. It didn't look like anyone had been there in a while. Maybe they're starting to put it to use again.

There was no changing my mind when I saw the stars in the girl's eyes. "Y-You do!? T-Thank you! The Lord is truly smiling down upon me!" I cringed as a powerful wave of pain shoot through my body. Every last nerve in my body burned like fire. I did my best to swallow my reaction to keep from alerting the Sister.

Of course it hurt! I'm a Devil! I shouldn't even be TALKING to this girl! I turned to tell her I couldn't anymore when I saw her face.

Tears were flowing from her adorable, puppy dog eyes.

Geez! D-Don't stare at me with such eyes! It's embarrassing...Damn you, puppy dog-eyes girl...

I turned away, gesturing her to follow. "Come on...I'll take you there."

And so we ended up on our way to the church, the Sister following behind me. Due to my awkwardness, our trip passed in mutual silence.

"Uwaaaaaah!" The sound of a young boy crying shattered the silence like glass. I was about to shrug it off and continue walking when I realized that the Sister was not following me but rather walking towards the boy, crouching down in front of him with a kind expression on her face.

"Are you okay?" The Sister asked. "A boy shouldn't be crying over little things like this." She gently patted the boy on the head. He probably had NO IDEA what she was saying, but he could probably sense her good intentions by the her kind and trustworthy expression. The Sister placed her palm where the boy injured himself.

I was about to ask her what she was doing when a green light orb appeared from the Sister's palm and flashed onto the boy's knee.

My eyes widened in shock.

No way! That's-No. It wasn't any kind of demonic power. If she were a Devil, she wouldn't be able to even wear that cross around her neck...I clutched my left arm as my own power created a strange ache as if responding to the light, giving me the answer to the Sister's ability.

-Sacred Gear. A power that is bestowed upon certain people. I had forgotten that many other people possess Sacred Gears so it would be stupid to think that I would never encounter another Sacred Gear-user outside the Reincarnated Devils. There has to be a lot of Sacred Gears with a lot of different abilities.

So the Sister is also a possessor of a Sacred Gear, but what-

Then I noticed the boy again. His injury was gone!

The Sister patted the boy on the head again. "Here. Your wounds are healed. The pain should be gone now."

"Yoshi-kun, where did you go?!" A woman who was no doubt the boy's mother ran over to him. The boy happily ran over to his mother, pointing at the Sister and smiling as if he had never been injured.

"Ah, that Onee-chan over there! She healed my injury!"

The Sister smiled at the mother. "It looked like he fell, so I helped him."

Rather than say any thanks, the mother pulled the boy away and started walking away. Over her shoulder, I saw her shoot the Sister a dirty look. "You shouldn't talk to strange people. Let's go."

I don't know why, but those words start to make my blood boil. I stepped in front of the Sister, shooting my own anger-filled look. "You know what, lady?! I-!" Then the Sister grabbed my sleeve, making me stop.

"It's fine." She said quickly.

I shot the Sister a concerned glance. "You understood that?"

She shook her head. "I don't understand the language, but I know..." She trailed off. I shot another glare at the mother. I think I somewhat understood why I was so pissed off. Those eyes...that look on that mother's face...while it was for a different reason, the look was exactly the same. It was the same one I got from most people who passed me by. From people who knew my name and reputation. Shunning me. Rejecting my very existence. Treating me like some sort of freak without really getting to know me.

I didn't see her face, but I could sense a feeling of sadness from the Sister.

It pissed me off to no end. The more I thought about it, the angrier I got. I could deal with it and just ignore it, but to give that look to the Sister was-

"Thank you, Onee-chan!" I was snapped out of it by that boy's words. The boy waved cheerfully to the Sister who seemed to smile as she waved back. I then turned back to the Sister and translated his words, but she seemed to already understand what he was saying.

The Sister turned to me and tapped herself on the head, sticking out her tongue.

"Sorry. I get meddlesome sometimes."

I was still gritting my teeth though. "What was with that bitch? She was like that even after you helped her son. Next time, I'll-"

"Being disliked by others is normal." The Sister interrupted. "I'm used to it..." I felt troubled by that. With someone like me, being used to such things should be expected, but someone like the Sister being treated like that...

"That power you used..." I started, trailing off slightly.

"Yes, it's the power to heal. It's a wonderful power that God gave me." She was smiling...but she seemed so sad. I thought about asking about it, but I decided against it. It was probably none of my business anyway.

It's not like I could say "Hey. I have a Sacred Gear too." anyway. I might as well also say "Hey. I'm a Devil. Please get all of your church friends and kill me with your crosses and holy water.".

Besides, apparently some people actually suffer because of this unusual power. Even I was a little uncertain how to feel about my Sacred Gear. I still don't know how to use it so I can't say I'm happy at all. I was killed because of it and I can't even figure out how it works.

"Anyway, let's go." I told the Sister.

She bowed to me. "Yes. Please take care of me!"

The rest of our journey faded into silence. It didn't take that much longer before we reached the old church. I still don't recall the place being used until recently, but there were people inside. I could tell because lights were on.

The place gave me the chills and I was sweating like crazy. I wasn't afraid, but I could tell the reason.

Holy ground.

I'm a Devil. The church, which is pretty much belongs to God and the Angels, is enemy territory.

That's why Buchou had told me to stay away from them. Even just standing this close was making my danger senses go crazy.

The Sister seemed so happy when we got there. "This is it! I'm so glad!" I did my best to keep my expression straight. I didn't want to give away the fact that I was a Devil when I'm so close to the Angels' home turf. I looked upward towards the setting sun. It was getting late.

While she wasn't an Onee-sama, I found it a shame to say good-bye to such a beauty. But it would never work out between a nun and a Devil anyway even if I did want to pursue the relationship...would it?

...I wasn't afraid of the church, but my Devil blood inside of me made it very clear that getting more involved with them was a bad move right now. I put my arms behind my head as I turned to leave.

"Well, it's been fun, but-"

"Please wait!" The Sister grabbed onto my sleeve. "I would like to make you some tea as a gratitude for taking me here—" I shook my head.

"Sorry." I apologized. "But I'm in a bit of a rush, so I gotta go."

"...but that's..." I admit I felt a little bad because of that troubled expression she had on her face. I know she just wanted to make it up to me by making tea, but I'm pretty sure stepping foot inside that church was tantamount to suicide. I admit I'm somewhat crazy and bloodthirsty sometimes, but I'm not suicidal. I shot a glare at the cross perched on the highest point on the church as if it were alive. The Sister didn't seem to notice though.

I figured I should at least give her my name. Maybe it would make up for it somehow. "The name's Shirou Fujimura. But you can call me Shirou. May I ask for the pretty lady's name?" I added that last part just for fun.

The Sister seemed to blush a little at being called 'pretty', but she spoke her own name.

"My name is Asia Argento! Please call me Asia!" I waved to her as I walked away.

"Then I hope we meet again, Sister Asia. May the Lord smile down upon you and show you His kindness." I felt a HUGE, almost unbelievable surge of pain at my mention of Him, but I felt it was an appropriate way to end our encounter.

"And you as well, Shirou-san! I hope to see you again too!"

Little did I know how fateful that 'seemingly coincidental meeting' was.

* * *

_Later that night..._

"Don't ever get close to the Church again."

Surprise surprise. Once again, I was being scolded by Buchou. Due to her more serious than usual expression, I could tell she really was pissed at me this time.

I rubbed the back of my neck, somewhat bored and annoyed. "OK OK, I understand. Give me a break."

That didn't really quell Buchou's anger. I think I may have actually fanned the flames a little. "I don't think you DO understand. To us Devils, the Church is an enemy's territory. Just stepping into it can cause an incident between the Devils and God. Since it was an act of kindness by taking the nun to the Church, they didn't harm you, but the Angels are always on the lookout. You were in a situation where it wouldn't be strange for them to hit you with a spear of light."

So it wasn't just the chill of being on holy ground. Apparently I had been watched. I guess my Devil instincts were telling me I had walked into a dangerous situation after all.

"And don't get involved with people from the Church. Especially the Exorcists who are our biggest enemy. They could easily eliminate us because their powers are supported by the prayer of God. More so if it is an Exorcist with a Sacred Gear. That would be the same as standing on the boundary of death, Shirou."

I subconsciously thought of Sister Asia. If she had known I was a Devil...would she have attacked me? I did my best to shove that thought to the back of my mind, but it kept nagging me.

I sighed. "Yeah. I get it. I won't do it again." I really wish she would stop lecturing me. As long as I don't cause a huge incident, I see no reason why she should give a rat's ass about what I do.

But Buchou wasn't finished. "You could avoid death as a human by being resurrected as a Devil. But Devils who are exorcised become completely terminated. They return to nothing. NOTHING. There is nothing left and you feel nothing. Do you know how serious that is?"

NOW I really got it. If I ended up messing with the Church, I would be reduced to a state of nonexistence. That thought sent a chill down my spine. It felt like I was standing right in front of the church again. Just a single slip up and I was gone for good.

Apparently my expression satisfied Buchou that I understood. She shook her head. "I'm sorry. I got too heated. Anyway, be careful from now on."

"Roger, boss lady." Buchou shot me a look, but she was apparently going to drop it for now. And that was where that conversation ended.

"Ara ara, did you finish lecturing him?"

I did my best to conceal my surprise at the sudden appearance of Akeno-san behind me, smiling as usual. Seriously, she was like a ninja or something!

"Akeno, did something happen?"

Akeno-san's expression changed after Buchou asked her, becoming more serious.

"We received an order for a hunt from the Archduke."

* * *

And now we were hunting down a Stray Devil.

Stray Devils were Devils who betrayed or killed their masters. It's rare, but not unheard of from what Buchou told me.

Where there's power, there's always someone who's going to abuse it. It's the same for Devils as it is for humans. There will always be those who choose to use that power for their own self-interests.

Stray Devils leave their master's side and end up causing problems somewhere else. They are no different from Stray dogs in a way. They cause trouble for quite a lot of people. That's why the law of the Devils states that when they are found, they are to be eliminated. Other races like Angels and Fallen Angels also seem them as threats and eliminate them as well.

I went to the unused building located at the outer part of the town along with Buchou, Akeno-san, Kiba, and Koneko-chan.

There was a rumor that one such Stray Devil is hidden in this house, hunting and devouring humans at night.

I could totally see a law-breaking Devil hiding in that house. It was creepy as Hell. It was like one of those haunted houses you see in horror movies where you find yourself screaming at the screen, shouting at the stupid characters not to go into the obviously haunted house.

"…The stench of blood." was Koneko-chan's response. I sniffed the air, but I couldn't quite figure out what she was talking about.

Maybe she just has a better sense of smell than me.

I shoved my hands into my pockets as we entered the house. I could feel the quietness of the house add to the tension. This was because I could FEEL the abnormal killing intent directed towards us. I readied myself to fight and I KNEW a fight was coming. And so we started our search for the Stray Devil.

Buchou was clearly the leader of this expedition. While I admittedly wasn't very fond of her, she looked rather reliable.

"Shirou, it's a good opportunity to experience what it's like to fight."

I raised an eyebrow. "Not to be rude, but I KNOW what it's like to fight." Seriously, I get into a fight every other day!

Bucho shook her head. "Not with Devils you don't." Was there really that much of a difference? I figured it would just be throwing larger punches against one another. I felt my pride get hurt by that comment, but I said nothing. Devils were supposed to be strong so I was hoping this would finally be my chance to fight against someone who actually gave me a challenge. "You can watch what a Devils' battle is like. Just concentrate and look at how we fight. Oh, yes. I will also explain the traits the servants have."

"Traits?" There was more to this 'servant' thing?

"I've already explained the relationships between Devils, Angels, and Fallen Angels." Indeed you did. "In the prolonged war, no matter which side, they were all exhausted. On the Devils' side, we lost a lot of pure blood and we couldn't rally the armed forces. So we started a process to train a few elites called [Evil Pieces]."

Ooh. Sounds cool. "What are these [Evil Pieces]?"

"Shirou, do you know what chess is?" Buchou asked me. I nodded in response.

"Yeah. It's kinda similar to shogi. Back when I was little and it was raining outside with nothing to do, Mako-nee would bring out this old chessboard and we'd play until the rain went away. She taught me all about the game." I then realize I was off-track with my reminiscing. I shook my head. "Anyway, there are six different types of pieces. There's the [King] who's like the big boss. If your [King] got taken out, you lost the game, so it was important above all else to keep the [King] safe. The other pieces are [Queen], [Knight], [Rook], [Bishop] and [Pawn]. Each piece has its own individual trait and use in chess." Buchou nodded, apparently pleased that I knew as much as I did about the game.

"Devils with a Peerage decided to use the traits of the human's game to their Servant Devils. It was also sarcasm, because most of the servants are Devils that were reincarnated from humans. Since then, Chess became a popular game in the world of the Devils. Since they couldn't make an army, they decided to have a small number of Devils and give them enormous powers. This system was made in the past few hundred years, and this unexpectedly became popular amongst Devils with a peerage." Made sense. Even if you couldn't raise a whole army of soldiers, it didn't matter as long as you train the soldiers you did have to their fullest. Quality over quantity as I say.

"So the chess rule became pretty popular, didn't it?" This prompted Buchou to continue her explanation.

"They started to compete against each other. For example like, "My Knight is stronger!" or "No, my Rook is stronger!" As a result, high-class Devils started to play a game like that of Chess against each other using their servant Devils. We call it the "Rating Game". This game became very popular amongst the Devils. Now, there are even tournaments for it. The strength of their [Pieces] and also how strong they are in the game affects the Devils' social position and their peerage. There is a thing called [Piece Collect] where they gather humans with talents and make them into their [Pieces]. It's very popular recently. Talented servants become their status."

So it's like any other sport. Your worth is measured by how well you and your team perform. Doing well in the game meant you were doing well as a Devil. So even if I don't get to fight tonight, I will definitely be able to fight strong guys sometime in the future.

"I'm not a matured Devil yet, so I can't participate in the official tournament. Even if I could, there are things that I need to go through, or else I can't play. In short, you and my other servants here won't be participating in a game for a while."

While I was somewhat interested in what these 'things' she had to go through were, it was none of my business. Just as long as it got done and I was able to fight in these Rating Games, I didn't care. "So even 'the Prince' and the others haven't had a chance to take part..."

"Yeah." Kiba answered. I had been so focused on the conversation, I hadn't been paying attention to how far into the house we had come. I was wondering if we were ever going to find this Stray Devil.

It was kinda funny to see how wrong my previous thoughts of Devils were. Rather than red demon people torturing evil souls in Hell in the pits of their own si-Wow my imagination is dark. I gotta get that checked.

But that left one question. "So we have these [Evil Pieces] that turn us into Devils, so what [Piece] am I and what can I do?"

Buchou smiled. "Shirou, you are..." She trailed off and I knew why. The chill in the air had increased as did the the enemy's killing intent.

We had found our Stray.

I could feel it approaching us even with my rookie Devil senses.

"I can smell something disgusting. But I can also smell something delicious. Is it sweet? Or is it sour?"

I covered my nose. Damn straight! Something reeks! But somehow I knew this scent.

It was the scent of blood. It was nauseating.

Buchou then announced herself to the source of killing intent. "Stray Devil Vizor, we're here to destroy you!"

I moved to the right to avoid some sort of object that was thrown at me. I was about to look at the guy who threw it at me, but my immediate attention was drawn to the object itself. I was curious and had to see what it was.

I really wish I hadn't.

My eyes widened in shock. It was a corpse! Not even a full one! It was like someone ate half the body but lost interest in the head, leaving the poor bastard's remains laying flat on the ground with his eyes opened.

The stench in the room intensified to the point that I felt like throwing up. I...I never thought I would react in such a way. I had to keep my cool though. The others weren't reacting in such a way so I couldn't show myself to be weaker than them.

Laughter echoed all around us. The sick asshole thought this was funny. He was really pissing me off.

It wasn't normal laughter though. It didn't seem like that of a Devil or a human. More like a monster.

I braced myself as the torso of a topless woman started to come out of the shadows, but it looked like her body was floating. When I got a better look, I saw that her torso was connected to something else.

The next thing I heard was heavy footsteps as if something huge was walking towards us. At first I thought she had some sort of beast hidden behind her. But then her lower half stepped entirely out of the shadows and I realized she WAS the beast.

It was a grotesque being with an unnatural form having a woman's upper body and the lower body of a monster. In both of her hands were weapons like spears. They kinda reminded me of the jousting-type of lances you'd see in medieval-style places. She was HUGE. At the very least 5 meters tall. If she stood on her hind legs, she would probably end up being twice as tall.

So even a beast like her could become a Devil. Well I suppose just because many other species COULD become Devils doesn't mean they should.

"Leaving your master's side and rampaging as you please definitely deserve death. In the name of Duke Gremory, I will gladly eliminate you!" I had to give Buchou some respect. Devil girls have loads more courage than normal girls. Then again, she probably didn't see Vizor as a threat. Size didn't necessarily translate into strength. It just made you a bigger target.

"You are cunning for a little girrrrrrl! I will rip your body, and color it in red just like your haaaaaaair!"

Buchou seemed amused by the Stray Devil's threat. "Grunts sure do speak in a stylish manner. Yuuto!"

"Yes!" I was barely able to catch Kiba as he sprinted ahead at unbelievable speeds. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it.

"Shirou, I will continue from the lecture before." I turned to Buchou. If she was this calm, I guess Vizor wasn't a real threat at all. I assumed Buchou was referring to that stuff about [Evil Pieces]. "Yuuto's position is [Knight]. Its trait is speed. Those who become a [Knight] have their speed increased."

I observed it with my own eyes. Kiba had been fast before, but his speed suddenly increased to the point that I couldn't even follow with my eyes. If I tried by following after images, I would just make myself dizzy. Because of this, Kiba had no problem dodging all of Vizor's attacks.

"And Yuuto's ultimate weapon is swords." Kiba stopped and the next moment he was holding a European sword. He took it out of the scabbard, the drawn blade reflecting the light of the moon. The pause in motion didn't last long because Kiba suddenly vanished again.

I only started paying attention the the monster when I heard her screams echo throughout the room. I was just in time to see her severed arms hit the ground, spears and all. The next second, blood spewed from the stumps where Vizor's arms once were.

"This is Yuuto's power. Speed that you can't follow with your eyes, and sword skills of a professional. By combining these two, he becomes the fastest Knight." Kiba stopped right in front of Vizor with his sword at his side. At first I was about to call him out for being an idiot when the enemy was right behind him, but then I saw another figure run up behind him.

"Koneko-chan?!" What was she doing? She was going to get crushed!

"YOU LITTLE BUUUUG!" The Stray screeched as it attempted to stomp on both Kiba and Koneko-chan. I was about to run forward to push the idiots out of the way when Buchou started to speak again.

"Don't worry." She said. "Koneko's role is [Rook]."

I watched in amazement as Koneko's tiny body was able to hold up the beast's giant foot with seemingly little effort.

"Let me guess. The Rooks have insane strength and defense?"

Buchou smiled at my obvious guess. "Exactly. That is the trait of a [Rook]. It's impossible for a Devil with that caliber to stamp on Koneko. It can't crush her."

I found myself smiling with amazement. This was the power of a Devil. IT WAS SO COOL! I could never hope to match such power back when I was a human!

I was further amazed when Koneko lifted up the beast still without showing any strain. "…Fly."

She jumped high and delivered a sharp punch to the monster's stomach, throwing her entire body backwards.

"How can it be...this band of youngsters..." That is usually what a villain says in an anime right before they kick the bucket. Geez. Even Devils were cliche.

"And lastly, Akeno."

"Yes, Buchou. Ara ara, what should I do?" She was...laughing? I sometimes laugh because I'm a bit of a battle maniac, but Akeno-san didn't strike me as that type of person.

She walked over to where the downed Stray had been thrown by Koneko-chan.

"Akeno is a [Queen]. She's the one who is the strongest after me. She is the unbeatable Vice-president of our club who has all the traits of [Pawn], [Knight], [Bishop], and [Rook]." Buchou explained. So that means she's more powerful than the speedy prince and the crazy strong loli?

Akeno-san made a fearless laugh after seeing the monster's gaze directed towards her. "Ara ara, seems like you still have some energy left in you. Then how about this?" Akeno-san raised her hand to the sky.

Then lightning rained down on the Stray Devil. She shrieked in pain as she got a huge electrical shock. She came out badly burnt with smoke coming from her.

How do you like your Stray devil? Burnt or extra crispy? I smiled at my own little mental joke.

I suppose Akeno-san liked hers extra crispy because she called down yet another bolt of electrical power. Even though the monster sounded like it was already dying, it let out another scream of pain. Now I was POSITIVE the Stray was already dying.

Even so, Akeno-san strikes down a third time.

"Ah looks like you can still continue. How long can you keep this up?" I couldn't help but feel that the sexual undertone mixed with her expression meant something.

"Akeno specializes in attacking her opponent with magic power." Buchou explained. "She can use natural elements like lightning, ice, and fire. And most of all, she's really into S&amp;M."

I felt my own face heating up. I swallowed. "That's...that's kinda hot." I admitted. I then heard the others next to me go deadly silent. "Uh...guys?" I turned and sweatdropped as I saw the others slowly scooting away towards the background. "Why are you moving away?"

Kiba waved nervously. "What are you talking about?" I'm talking about the fact that even Buchou is backing away from me.

"Your response just kinda surprised us." Buchou said, slightly more straightforward.

"...Stay away..." Koneko-chan said, much more straightforward as she crossed her arms into an X in my direction.

Why is it it was alright for Akeno to be the Sadist Queen but I couldn't find it hot?

"Oh come on! It's not like I'm asking for anyone to be tied up and whipped!"

I felt a chill as a hand was placed on my shoulder. "Oh? So are you offering then?" I turned in surprise to see Akeno-san smiling, hints of sexual pleasure still on her face.

I slowly slid away from Akeno-san, my hands trying to ward her off. "Sorry. I'm don't quite find it THAT hot. Besides, I'm pretty sure you'd kill me." She fries demons to get off. Like Hell I'd test out a slight S&amp;M fetish with Akeno-san.

Akeno-san winked at me. "It's okay. I can be _very_ gentle with my allies." I felt my face heating up again.

"Uh..." I was saved when Buchou cleared her throat, interrupting this...'thing' that was going on with Akeno-san right now. Akeno-san then put on her usual non-sadist smile and turned to Buchou.

"The last blow belongs to you, Buchou." Akeno-san said as if she hadn't gone total sadist.

Note to self: Watch what I say around Akeno.

Buchou then approached the downed and now badly burned Vizor. "Any last words?"

"Kill...me..." The monster croaked out.

"Then disappear." I was honestly surprised by the cruel reply Buchou gave as well as the coldness in her voice.

I watched as a huge mass of black, demonic energy gathered in Buchou's palm. Buchou released it all in one go, completely annihilating the monster's entire body.

I could tell because I no longer sense anything...there wasn't a trace left of the Stray Devil once known as Vizor.

So this was the power Devils possessed...

All the coldness and tensity vanished into thin air.

Buchou smiled to everyone. "It's over. Good work everyone."

So the "Stray Devil Hunt" is over then? This is where I start in my pursuit of my dream. I will definitely get stronger.

Strong enough to surpass God Himself! Strong enough to be more powerful than Heaven and Hell combined! That was the promise I made.

Then I remembered something. Everyone here had a position with an [Evil Piece], but Buchou never answered my question from earlier.

"You never did tell me though. What [Piece] am I, Buchou?"

"Ah." Buchou responded with a smile. "I forgot to tell you, didn't I?" Yes. Yes you did. I had an idea on which one I was. I certainly wasn't a [Bishop] because that probably had to do with magic since [Rook] and [Knight] had to do with strength/defense and speed respectively. Since [Queen] was taken by the "Sadist Queen" Akeno-san, that left three pieces that I could possibly be: [Pawn], [Rook], or [Knight].

"Your role is a [Pawn]."

Buchou's response was brief and to the point.

"Cool." I replied with a smile on my face. Apparently, Buchou was a bit surprised by my response. Then again, any other guy would initially act depressed or angry about being a [Pawn]. "I feel glad that I'm a [Pawn]. They may be foot soldiers but they have the most potential too. A [Pawn] can turn a game completely around by promoting to a much better piece, even a [Queen]." I clenched my fist in front of me. "So by becoming a [Pawn], I have the most potential out of everyone here. Potential is what makes a [Pawn] both powerful and unique."

Buchou seemed both relieved and happy at my explanation. "I couldn't have put it any better myself, Shirou."

"Shall we head back?"

Buchou nodded. And then we left.

* * *

_Later..._

I really wish my night had ended there so I could go home and catch some Z's, but Buchou stopped me.

_"Shirou, I know this may be a bit inconvenient right now, but you're currently being asked for by a client. I would normally just let it wait until later, but this client has been trying to come into contact for quite a bit. It would be best for you to complete the contract now then later."_

That was Buchou's explanation shortly before I ended up going through the magic circle back at the ORC club house.

When the light faded from my eyes, I was in an alleyway standing beside a familiar Onee-sama.

"Kalawarner?"

The beautiful Onee-sama smiled at me. "Did you really never expect to see me again?"

"Well I was busy with some stuff." Considering she was a human, I couldn't very well explain I had just seen four other people around my age reduce a centaur-creature to dust. I might come across as weird. "But it is good to see you again. What's the request this time?" At the back of my mind, I felt like I was forgetting something. Something important...

Kalawarner clasped her hands together. "Buy a girl a drink?"

I smiled right back at her. "Well if it's this pretty girl, then it's no problem." I was still uncertain if we were flirting or not.

* * *

We ended up going to this bar nearby the alley Kalawarner summoned me in.

Me and Kalawarner took seats at the counter. It wasn't one of those age-restricted kind of bars because their main product wasn't alcohol. It was more of a restaurant than a bar really. It must've been a slow night though because other than the guy behind the counter, it was just me and Kalawarner.

So while Kalawarner was drinking a glass of some sort of alcohol, I was drinking something sweet and fruity. I had no idea what it was, but Kalawarner said it was non-alcoholic.

We tried small talk, Kalawarner speaking about a few small details about whatever job she had. She said they got a new employee at her workplace, but she didn't really specify much about the girl. The fact she was a girl was all that I could get out of Kalawarner. I, in turn, told Kalawarner a bit about my school life including my many perverted friends and associates (although I was still reluctant to refer to Matsuda and Motohama as such). Kalawarner laughed a bit as I described the many perverted escapades Matsuda and Motohama get into and how they often get beat by the girls they were perving on.

We sometimes exchanged comments or compliments that came off as flirtatious (usually on Kalawarner's part), but...

Despite the casual small talk, I could tell something was up. Kalawarner seemed much more quiet than in our previous meeting. Like something was on her mind.

"So...something bugging you?" I finally asked after thirty minutes. Kalawarner tensed at my question.

"W-What are you talking about?" She didn't wait for me to respond before grabbing her drink and downing it in one go. She let out a sigh of contentment, a light blush on her face showing that the inebriation was starting to take effect. "I down't know what yer talkin bout, Shiroooou..." She then slammed her hand onto the counter. "Barkeep! Nuther drink on thish guy right heeere!" Kalawarner gestured towards me and I was a little surprised at how easily she had started to get drunk. Her words were already slurred.

I frowned. "Is it so bad that you have to avoid the question? I mean, we don't really know each other that well, but I am your summoned Devil so I will take any secret with me to the grave if that's what you're worried about." Now I was REALLY curious about what Kalawarner was upset about.

A sad and worried expression appeared on Kalawarner's still inebriated face. "I..."

The guy behind the counter brought Kalawarner another drink that she quickly grabbed and downed in a time less than or equal to the first. She then slammed the glass onto the counter. "More more! Gimme more erf dat there stuff!" Dear Maou she cannot handle her alcohol.

My sweat began to roll down the sides of my face. "Umm..." Kalawarner didn't hesitate before downing that one as well.

"Sweeteey lovely drinky winky~! Fill mee up muster drinky~!" And now she was singing apparently. She called for more drinks before I could even open my mouth. Now I was beginning to feel worried. Not only for Kalawarner but for my wallet. Even with my surplus of money, if Kalawarner kept drinking like this, I would be out of cash before the night was over.

Thankfully, the barkeep cut Kalawarner off after her eighth or ninth drink. By then, she was incredibly unsteady on her feet. I paid for the drinks that Kalawarner had and then we left. I wouldn't be able to just leave Kalawarner on her own in good conscience so I ended up deciding to carry her home...The things I do for my conscience.

_"What are you doing?!"_ My Mini-Devil Shirou screamed from my shoulder._ "Drunk girl with no balance?! It's easy pi-!" _I then took that opportunity to flick my Mini-Devil Shirou from my shoulder and off to who-cares-where.

That's the end of that.

While Kalawarner was much lighter than she looks, she was still a bit heavy. Not in a bad way. Just what you'd expect from another human being. I had to reach into her pocket to get her address. It was somewhat uncomfortable when Kalawarner leaned on me and started snuggling against my side. She wrapped her arms around me and I felt this position would be horribly misleading to any random observer.

I did my best to ignore my extremely burning face until we reached Kalawarner's door. She was still in an inebriated daze, so I decided to fish her keys from her pockets and help her inside as well.

Her house was still as neat and clean as it was the first time I got summoned there. It was like she never really lived there. I tried turning on a light, but apparently Kalawarner forgot to pay the utilities or something because none of the lights would turn on. It was either she didn't pay or somehow all of the light bulbs in her house were dead at the same time.

I planned on turning the lights on so Kalawarner wouldn't stumble around in the dark if she snapped out of her drunken stupor, but I guess that was no longer an option. I didn't need lights cos I had a Devil's Night Vision.

Hooray for Night Vision!

Rather than carry Kalawarner all the way upstairs to her room, I settled for the couch in the nice little living room. I dragged the incredibly drunk woman beside me, trying not to drop her. I was doing my best to hurry that I didn't notice the carpet that I could trip over until it was too late.

My foot got caught on the edge of the carpet and almost completely fell forward. That wasn't the...er...'bad' part.

For a moment, I had accidentally let go of Kalawarner and almost let her drop to the floor. Out of reflex, I lunged forward to catch her, grabbing her wherever...

That 'wherever' happened to be both large and extremely soft.

Kalawarner let out a soft moan in her drunken state as I groped her beautifully developed oppai. It was an accident, but I felt a brief moment of bliss, basking in the soft glory that were Kalawarner's breasts. In my daze, I somehow ended up giving it another squeeze, eliciting a squeak from Kalawarner that could only be described as 'cute'.

I wonder what would happen if I-NO! Baaaaad Shirou! Don't grope the nice drunk lady! You do NOT stoop to that level! No matter how soft she is, you don't do that kind of thing without permission!...but they were just so so-NO! Bad!

Before I could even consider giving into temptation, I quickly laid Kalawarner onto the couch so she wasn't hanging off it and so she wouldn't roll off...well. I got it on the second try. The first time she DID roll off, but when I caught her, I had another 'happy accident'.

I sighed. This job was turning out to be stressful in the most unique of ways. I was about to turn around and head back to the clubhouse via magic circle or walking when-

"Thanks for carrying me all the way home." I froze and turned slowly on my heels to face the very awake and not-very inebriated Kalawarner, sitting up on the couch and brushing her hair out of her face.

I jumped, shocked by her sudden not-drunkness. "Oh dear Maou, you were completely sober the entire time, weren't you?" I felt my face heat up as I remembered my happy accidents. For a brief moment, I thought I was going to be murdered then and there.

"Not entirely." Kalawarner admitted. "My alcohol tolerance is much higher than normal people. What I drank only gave me a light buzz. Most of that was just an act."

"Ah." Then a thought occurred to me. "Wait. If you weren't drunk, WHY THE HELL DID I HAVE TO CARRY YOU HOME?! And why didn't you react when I...er...you know...I'm sorry about that though."

Kalawarner smiled slightly, suppressing a laugh. "How about we call it even?" I nodded, sighing a bit from relief. I then felt a strange atmosphere surround Kalawarner. It was the same one that I had felt back in the bar before Kalawarner had faked being drunk...only sadder.

"Why WERE you faking being drunk anyway?" I asked, still curious as to what was bothering my client.

Kalawarner turned her gaze downward, hiding her eyes from me. "The reason I've been off all evening was because...I was trying to think of a way to say goodbye."

I stared.

Goodbye? What does she mean by that?

I was answered a second later when Kalawarner was standing. I was shocked when I saw two wings sprout from her back. Wings that bore nothing but painful (physically) memories. Her wings were back and feathery much like those of a certain bitch whose ass I still wouldn't mind kicking.

I could feel drops of sweat roll down the back of my neck as I made a horrible realization.

It was certain when a violet spear of light materialized in Kalawarner's hand.

My client is a Fallen Angel. She is...my enemy?

"I'm sorry." Unlike Yuuma's mocking words and insults, Kalawarner's words were absolutely genuine. She felt sad about what she was planning on doing. "But I have to kill you now."

"Why?"

It was a fair question.

Kalawarner's minor killing intent was interrupted in the face of my question. She stared at me in what was clearly confusion. "...What?"

"Why do you have to kill me?"

"Because I'll have to do it someday anyway."

"Why?" I asked again.

"B-Because we're enemies! I'm a Fallen Angel and you're a Devil!"

"And? Do you have any real reason to kill me?"

Kalawarner was clearly starting to get annoyed. "We are different. If I don't kill you now, you will someday take away someone important to me. That's how it will always be. Fallen Angels, Devils, and Angels are not meant to befriend one another. They will always be at each others throats."

I shrugged. "Not really. Personally, I'm not much for killing. I'd like to kickYuuma's ass for stabbing me in the chest, but I have nothing against Fallen Angels personally. I find you to be the same sexy Onee-sama as you were before. Only difference now: you have wings." Hey, if she was going to kill me anyways, I might as well be honest. I WOULD fight back, but I didn't feel comfortable about the thought of having to fight her. Fighting Onee-sama's leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

I looked back to Kalawarner to see her face red with what may have been a mix of anger and embarrassment. "How can you say that when you were killed by a Fallen Angel yourself?!"

"Correction: I was killed by YUUMA who just happened to be a Fallen Angel. If she were a Devil or an Angel, I wouldn't feel any different. It's not like the Fallen Angel race as a whole conspired to kill me..." I paused for a moment. "They didn't, right?" I wasn't sure if I would feel flattered or pissed if a whole race had to conspire together to kill me.

Despite still trying to be serious and angry, Kalawarner suppressed a giggle at my question which may or may not have been a joke or not. "No. I assure you we did not. It wasn't 'conspiring' so much as sudden orders."

"Orders?"

Kalawarner nodded. What little killing intent she had before had faded into our conversation. Now it was just guilt. "A few months ago, we detected the presence of a particular Sacred Gear. For some reason, Azazel-sama took a special interest in this Sacred Gear as well as its owner:You, Fujimura Shirou, were our target."

"I see." I closed my eyes thinking. So I had been observed for several months now and I never even noticed. It must've been because my human senses were far more inferior to those of a Devil's. That's probably why I never saw nor heard any of them prior to Yuuma killing me...but I was still confused...

Kalawarner took that moment to continue speaking. "It was only several weeks ago that we received new orders: The one known as Fujimura Shirou was to be executed. You were perceived as a threat and were deemed too dangerous to allow to survive. That's why we sent Raynare to perform the deed. She toyed with you to lower your guard and killed you."

I blinked in confusion. "'Raynare'?" Kalawarner then realized she had forgotten something as she sat back down on the couch, folding her raven-like wings behind her.

"Ah. That's right. You probably know her better as Yuuma Amano. An alias we created for her to appear as a human."

So. This 'Raynare' is Yuuma. Yuuma is Raynare. Whoever she is, I'm going to kick her ass.

Then a thought occurred to me. "Wait. So this 'Azazel' guy...he orders you to watch me and then a few months later just has me executed? Isn't that a bit harsh and sudden? I mean, Hell. If given enough incentive, I could've been working for you guys instead of the Devils if I ever managed to achieve the use of my Sacred Gear naturally."

Kalawarner considered this. "I admit it is a bit unusual for Azazel-sama, but his orders are absolute."

I nodded. "Yeah. I get you guys had to listen to your boss, but I'm still gonna kick Raynare's ass next time I see her..." Kalawarner stared at me. "...I can't stand such a defeat. Next time, I'll definitely win." I frowned. "But man, Azazel sounds like a total prick." I could tell immediately that I said something bad.

"Don't you dare badmouth Azazel-sama!" Kalawarner shouted angrily. "He's the Governor of the Fallen Angels, our leader!" I raised my hands in surrender, taking a few steps back.

"OK. OK. I just think it's a little BS how he ordered me to be killed for no real reason." I mean, I'm glad that I can fight strong guys as a Devil, but getting killed hurt like Hell! Even if it wasn't lethal, getting a hole in the chest tends to make you feel like shit.

Kalawarner's expression became a sad confusion. "Azazel-sama was unusually cold about the execution order. When Kokabiel-sama told us about it, I could hardly believe it came from Azaz-"

"Wait wait wait!" I interrupted. Something about this seems kinda fishy. "I thought Azazel was your big boss guy."

Kalawarner nodded. "Azazel-sama is the leader of the Fallen Angels, but there are others under him. Kokabiel-sama is still very high up. A much higher rank than those of us dispatched to this town. Azazel-sama was the one who gave us our initial orders, but Kokabiel-sama was the one who informed us of the change." Something about that definitely stinks of bullshit.

"Doesn't that seem kind of suspicious?" I asked. Kalawarner raised an eyebrow at my question. "I mean...if killing me isn't an order that Azazel would normally send out, isn't it just a bit suspicious that this Kokabiel guy was the one who carried the new orders to you rather than Azazel doing that?" I can be a thinker when I want to be, but my head's starting to hurt now. Kalawarner's expression became pensive, as if thinking about my words.

"It's...not my place to question our orders. Only to follow them." But it was obvious that Kalawarner WAS thinking it over. However, back to the main issue at the present here...

"So what now?" I asked. "I mean...are you still going through with that whole 'killing me again' thing?."

Kalawarner paused for a moment. "Our orders were to kill you...said orders were fulfilled by Raynare when she pierced your heart, killing you for several seconds. And now that you are a servant of the Gremory house, any hostile actions would result in terrible consequences."

"Wait a minute..." I interrupted. "...where was that reasoning back when you had a light spear at my throat?!"

Kalawarner looked away. "I...I just wanted a reason...A reason to hate or attack you, but...you're too much of a good person. A bit of a pervert judging from the way you were groping me earlier," She stopped to smile at my embarrassed/angry look, "but a good person nonetheless...I didn't want to kill such a person without some kind of reason. I didn't want to get attached either..."

"This war between the three factions...you know it's over, right?"

"Hm?" Kalawarner cocked her head sideways.

"There's no rule saying we have to hate each other or have to kill one another." It was a fair statement. "If we want to hang out, there shouldn't be any real problem with that. Not like we're plotting to destroy the planet or whatever." I then offered my hand to Kalawarner. "After all, I am contractually obligated to fulfill any request, right? And your order to watch me was never rescinded, right?"

The Fallen Angel Onee-sama quickly caught on to what I was getting at. "Indeed. So if my observing you involved summoning a Devil and doing a variety of things, then it can't be helped." She stood up from the couch and bowed. "As you technically just met the real me, I should introduce myself. I am Kalawarner. I am also a Fallen Angel. Please take care of me~!" The way she ended that sounded kinda cute.

I grinned in response to Kalawarner's "introduction". "Well, I suppose I should introduce myself as well." I jabbed a thumb at myself. "My name's Shirou Fujimura and I'm a Devil!"

And that is how I, a Devil serving Rias Gremory, created a bond with Kalawarner, a Fallen Angel.

* * *

**Kalawarner's POV...**

I don't really know how or why it happened, but I somehow became friends with a Devil.

Just saying it aloud sounds strange to me. A boy who should be my enemy is someone who I really enjoy being around.

I-It's not like I'm attracted to him or anything! I-I just find him to be fun to hang around!

Still...it was like he was a whole different person. I had fully expected him to start swinging his fists the moment I showed my light spear, but Shirou was surprisingly calm...He seemed so much different. Before, when he was in public, I could always sense a raging flame emanating from his soul. And when it was just the two of us alone, there was no sign of that flame. Instead there had been a much calmer flame. Warm and embracing in a way...

I couldn't quite explain it in words.

THUMP THUMP

My heart was beating irregularly at the thought of Shirou...It was a familiar warm feeling that I had long associated with pain and rejection...God I hope it's not what I think it is. I can't...not after only two meetings!...I don't even know why I told him about being a Fallen Angel! I could've killed him or-No. The feeling in my chest wouldn't have let me. I'm not sure what I initially intended to do really. Just keeping who I was from him made me feel sick inside.

...speaking of our conversation, my mind kept wandering back to something Shirou said:

_"I mean...if killing me isn't an order that Azazel would normally send out, isn't it just a bit suspicious that this Kokabiel guy was the one who carried the new orders to you rather than Azazel doing that?"_

Even when I tried sleeping to rid myself of my emotional exhaustion, my mind wouldn't stop replaying those words.

Come to think of it...Why WAS Shirou designated to be killed? He had shown no open hostility towards anyone but the delinquents who hassled him everyday. If Shirou had been that dangerous, why wouldn't Azazel-sama take more precautionary measures against such a threat?...He would've at least warned up personally...yet Kokabiel-sama was the one who delivered the message...

Damn. Now I was seriously thinking about it...

I quickly ran out of the room to alleviate these thoughts in my head, wanting to make a single call to end these doubts once and for all...

**And with that, I am finished! It's been forever, but I finally got this shite finished! Hooray~! So yeah...I know that last part seemed a little rush, but I wouldn't have had another chance to do it later. It was either now or never and completely destroy the plot I had planned. So yeah. With that, this chapter is finished~!**

**Thanks for the reads and reviews~!**

**Bye-Bye!**


	6. Chapter 5: Exorcist

**OK. I am VERY sorry for all of the time away from the writing and stuff...but I didn't have internet for a while and stuff...please forgive me. Anyway, I apologize if some people were dissatisfied with that last scene in the previous chapter, but I had to do it. If I didn't do it then, I couldn't do it later and that scene was incredibly important to my grand master plan! Anywho, ON WITH THE STORY~!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but OC's!**

**Chapter 5:**

**Exorcist**

"Makotoooooo-HAMMER!"

I was woken up when I felt the full force of a heavy punch slam into my gut, knocking the wind out of me in one go. There may have been a little blood mixed in there, but I was in too much pain to notice.

It hurt like HELL!

I shot upright from my bed, clutching my incredibly pained stomach. I turned and glared at the culprit behind my pain.

"WHAT THE HELL, MAKO-NEE!?" I shouted at my sister. "I mean-"

"Makoto's Divine Punishment!" I then felt a hand smack me across my face, sending me flying into the wall. When I fell to the ground, I was able to look up and see the Shirou-sized crater that the force of the impact had created. My head felt like someone had split it open with an axe, no doubt from the injuries I was just inflicted.

I glared at Makoto-neesan. "What was that one for?!"

Mako-nee glared down at me and I immediately froze. This was one of those moments when I have to shut up, speaking at the risk of dismemberment.

"What the Hell were you doing?!" She asked, furious. "You think I just wouldn't notice how you didn't return until 3:00 A.M. Last night...this morning...YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN! You are in BIG trouble, Shirou!"

What?...Then again, I guess even Buchou's hypnosis has its limits. Nobody would miss their son or brother still missing by 3 in the morning. All of the late night meetings with the Occult Research Club could be overlooked, but I was always home by around midnight. Then again, Mako-nee always was perceptive. Maybe she just saw through the hypnosis enough to notice my absence...there were so many theories and possibilities, but I chose to focus on my Onee-sama.

I scratched my head. "Geez. It's not that big of a deal. Just..." I then felt myself doze off a bit. I was then hit on the head by Mako-nee's fist. "Cut that out already!" She was starting off to be a bitch this morning. What bug crawled up her ass?

"It IS a big deal, Baka-otouto!" Makoto placed her hands on her hips, her aura of annoyance and possible anger increasing. "Do you know what it's like to come home after work and realize you have yet to return home, having NO IDEA where the Hell you are or whether or not you're in danger?! DO YOU!?"

It was then that I realized Mako-nee's voice held no anger.

She sighed, her expression turning into a worried one. "Baka...idiot...You at least have to warn me next time you plan on staying out that late. I almost had a heart attack when I came home and you were missing."

She was...worried about me? Well...I suppose that I don't know what Makoto's thinking all the time. She's always so strong and I never really thought she would ever be seriously worried about me. I never really knew what she thinks actually...

"Sorry..." Why did I say that?

Even Mako-nee was surprised by my apology. She was rendered speechless for a moment...I didn't really flat-out apologize often. I would sometimes reconcile with people after arguments and it would be assumed and known by both parties that I was sorry, but I don't often use the word, 'Sorry', itself...not in a genuine way anyway.

It might've been because my mind was elsewhere. I was still thinking about the other day. That Sister, Asia, and the Fallen Angel who used my services as a Devil and who now considers me a friend, Kalawarner.

The words of both Kalawarner and Buchou bothered me...

Both have said that we and the other factions are enemies and have to fight and hate one another because of a war that happened something like centuries ago (I never received a straight answer on when it happened exactly), but I can't find the will to hate the people of those factions. Sister Asia was a good girl and Kalawarner was fun to be around. Raynare's a murderous psycho, but I dislike her because she murdered and humiliated me, not because she's a Fallen Angel.

I can't say I found any sense in their words. I like fighting, but meaningless battles based on pointless hatred did not draw my interest...I just couldn't understand...

"Is something wrong, Shirou?" Makoto had completely calmed down and her tone was now worried to match her expression. She had gone into 'Caring Big Sister' mode. While I find it somewhat annoying, I find it much better than Makoto's 'Blind Murderous Fury' mode...that mode is not pretty.

"No..." Yes. I don't know why I lied. Maybe I didn't want to bother her, but I don't really know.

Mako-nee seemed unconvinced (Did I mention she was incredibly perceptive?). "Well...Can you at least tell me if it has something to do with a fight or something dangerous?"

I carefully thought out my answer. "It doesn't. It's just some personal stuff I'm going through. Nothing bad." It was vague, but it was the truth. I wasn't doing anything dangerous...at the moment. "I wanna figure this stuff out on my own."

Makoto stared for several more seconds before sighing. "Fine. I can't help it if my Baka-otouto wants to handle things on his own."

I gave her a less harsh glare. It was then that I seriously looked at her that I noticed something.

"Did you get younger?"

Makoto seemed to tense, but I couldn't really tell. "What?"

It was something that gradually became clearer and clearer. "I mean, you just seem different. Younger somehow." I'm not joking. Before, she looked like an older woman who could pass off as a woman in her early to mid-thirties, but now she kinda seemed like a girl just out of college. Her eyes seemed more youthful and held more light in them. Her body seemed much more well-shaped than before...it's creepy when I say it out loud...what was even creepier was the fact that I noticed her breasts seemed slightly larger than they were before. Large enough to give Buchou, Akeno-san, and Kalawarner all a run for their money.

I wanted to bash my head against the wall for noticing such a thing with my own Onee-sama, but oppai were oppai after was something that couldn't help but be noticed.

I blushed with embarrassment, looking away. "You just looked better somehow."

Makoto's cheeks pinked slightly with her own playful embarrassment. "Well you could say that I've had a _ritual_ done. Just something I do every now and then..." She smiled. Apparently she really liked being complimented.

….That...that's kinda unsettling. What did she mean by 'ritual'?

"Well, it must've taken helluva lot of work to get someone like you to look hot." I said, knowing what the consequences would be.

A vein popped out on Mako-nee's forehead.

A second later, I was once again smashed into the wall, in unbelievable pain. Makoto was glaring at me from the doorway, her fist burning from the amount of force she put into her punch.

"Get ready for school, you jerk." She then turned her back to me. In the faintest of whispers, she said, "But thank you for calling me 'hot'." She then walked off, leaving me with a huge welt on my head and a confused expression on my face.

...I hadn't really intended to call her hot, but it was the only word in that attempted insult that could fit how her changed appearance looked. I had to end that conversation before I mentioned Makoto's breasts or something of an equally embarrassing nature.

I quickly got changed into my school uniform and raced out of the house, trying to get that awkward moment out of my head.

* * *

_Later..._

School once again passed in a blur. I didn't pay attention to even half of what the teacher had been talking about. I had been too occupied.

My thoughts from earlier (before my awkward moment with Mako-nee) were still fresh on my mind.

"So you're awake for once."

I turned to my right to see Kiryuu standing beside me, smirking somewhat. I sighed.

"What are you talking about?" Seriously, I was too tired for this right now.

"Well you're usually asleep by this point in the day. What's the special occasion?" Speaking of asleep, I really want to take a nap right now. Maybe I'll just go home and sleep until I gotta go back to the clubhouse tonight for whatever we were doing.

"It's none of your-" I paused mid-sentence. Well I've been thinking about it all day, so I might as well get a thought from someone else. Maybe see whether my thoughts are logical or not. Kiryuu really knew her stuff when she's being serious. She truly was a good person despite being a master of sexual harrassment. "Well, there is something..."

"You get laid?" Kiryuu asked jokingly. "Neh, you would be much more upbeat if you did...unless you got her pregnant?"

I glared. "Shut up." Kiryuu raised her hands in surrender.

"OK, I get it. Serious staaartiiing-Now." Kiryuu's expression became more concerned and serious. "So what's up?"

I scratched my head, carefully thinking through how I was gonna say this without revealing the existence of Devils and Fallen Angels. "Well...OK, so I have this thing...er..." Still thinking... "Got it! So I'm part of this group-"

"Is this a gang? Cos you know Makoto will kill you if you join a gaing."

"No, it's not a gang! Don't interrupt!" I sighed, trying to pick up my train of thought. "So there are these three factions for each of these groups, me being a part of one of them. The members of all three are supposed to be enemies with one another and fight. They aren't in an active war because their groups kinda had their numbers crippled in a previous war."

"You aren't allowed to fight the boss guys and have to fight the grunts?"

"Ye-N-I said not to interrupt!" I shouted. "Anyway, that's not my problem. Even though the other guys are supposed to be my enemies, I kinda...Well I kinda can't find it in myself to hate these two people I've met. They seem like pretty good people who just had pretty shitty luck in life. Of course I'm not telling my boss how I feel because I feel that she is nothing but a spoiled brat and-" I quickly darted my gaze left and right, making sure that Buchou was not here to hear my words. She would probably get pissed and incinerate me or something. I know not to underestimate her now that I've seen a single show of her power. "Anyway...I should hate them, but I don't. I understand that a lot of them might be bad, but not all of them are...is it wrong that I like the two people? What do you think I should do?"

Kiryuu adjusted her glasses, thinking. She finally answered after a few seconds.

"...Do what you want."

Eh? What kind of response was that?

"Well if I honestly said to stay away from them or something like that, would you really listen to me?" She had a point. I probably wouldn't. "Besides, if you say they're good, then I don't see any reason to hate them."

"...Yeah. You're right." I don't know why I was worrying about it in the first place. Just as long as I don't do anything to start a huge incident, I see no reason not to continue my friendship with Kalawarner. Maybe I'd try meeting Sister Asia again...I felt a strange kinship with her that I'd like to explore...Something about that girl...I felt strange around her.

"Shirou. Shirou. Earth to Shirou, do you copy?" I was so deep in my thoughts that I hadn't noticed Kiryuu waving her hand in front of my face. I smacked her hand out of my face.

"You have a point. Besides, just because the boss lady says I have to do something, it doesn't mean I HAVE TO do it...but I still won't tell her about it."

Kiryuu had another smirk on her face. "Aw~. Is the mighty [Demon King of Kuoh] afraid of someone?"

My cheeks turned pink at her accusation. "What?! No way! I'm not afraid of her, but..."

"But what?"

I opened my mouth to speak, but I couldn't very well tell Kiryuu that Buchou was my 'master' and I had to follow at least some of her orders. That may lead to very bad situations later on. I certainly wasn't afraid of that crimson princess. "Nothing. Never mind."

"But man, the [Demon King of Kuoh] handling two female enemies at once in a forbidden romance...It's so tragic yet romantic at the same time."

I jumped. "H-How did you know they were girls?!" Kiryuu winked.

"I didn't. You just told me. It was a fifty-fifty chance." I then blushed as I realized her previous comment.

"W-Wait a minute! I didn't say anything about 'handling girls'! I don't-!"

Kiryuu adjusted her glasses and a perverted look crossed her face. "You certainly have the 'equipment' to handle two at once. Maybe even three."

I quickly crossed my legs and protected my 'equipment' from her perverse gaze. "Q-Quit it you Pervy Glasses Character!"

"The things girls would do to you if they found out," Kiryuu stuck out her tongue at me.

"Just...Just die, damn you." I found it so hard to take this girl seriously. Even when we were dating, she still did this just to annoy me.

"Awww~! You're cute when you're pouting, Shirou~!"

"S-Shut up! I'm not pouting!" But I was. I wouldn't admit it, but my angry expression looked like a pout with me puffing my cheeks. I clicked my tongue, my face still bright red. "Forget it! I'm going home!" I quickly grabbed my things and ran out the door before my cheerful friend could sexually harass me any further. I met Matsuda and Motohama on the way out, but a quick punch to the back of their heads put an end to any annoyances they could've caused.

Why did my day have to be so embarrassing?

* * *

_Later..._

I was off on a job as usual, on my bike this time. It was dark outside and I had decided to take the long way to the client's house so I would have time to think to myself. I just kept thinking how strange it was that I was actually a Devil now. I know I've been one for a while, but how would anyone else feel if they woke up one morning and learned they were turned into a Devil.

But I'm not complaining. With this Sacred Gear of mine, I'll definitely get stronger and fight stronger guys. I'll leave the other Gremory servants in my dust! I will become the Devil to surpass all Devils!

I eventually arrived in front of the client's house. There was something that bugged me though. Devils can only be noticed during Devil-related activities by people with some kind of supernatural sense or perception or had some kind of greed, but what would happen if a client just summoned me right in front of his family...that would be an awkward situation if they all saw me.

I was about to push on the doorbell when I noticed the client's door was open.

Were they trying to air the place out or something? Regardless, leaving the door open in the middle of the night was a little irresponsible not to mention stupid.

I open the door fully and poked my head inside, looking into my client's house...Nobody was around.

BADUM BADUM BADUM

I could feel my heart beating in my chest. Something...something was definitely wrong. I had a bad feeling all of a sudden.

It was the same feeling as when I entered the house where the Stray Devil, Vizor, hid or when I had approached the church. The feeling that I was walking towards danger. 

A sense of foreboding filled my very being as I walked into my client's house.

It's not breaking and entering since my client technically invited me.

It was dark as I entered. No lights were turned on. There was a staircase, but no lights.

Even though I could still see, the darkness only added to my bad feeling. No wait...there was one room on the first floor with lights on. At the end of the hallway, I could see a faint light.

My uneasiness only increased when I realized I couldn't feel a human presence. None. There was a chance it could be another supernatural being, but then they would've disguised their presence rather than hide it entirely.

Even if they were sleeping, it wouldn't make any sense not to feel anyone's presence.

I didn't take off my shoes as I made my way into the client's house. It may have been rude, but something was definitely wrong.

"Hello?" I called out. "Is anyone there?" I peeked through the door which was opened just a crack. I still couldn't see anyone or anything because the brightness of what may have been candles was blinding me...but I could smell...then my heart stopped entirely. I recognized that horrible smell.

The smell of death, rotting corpses...and blood. A lot of blood.

I quickly opened the door and walked in.

What I saw was a living room with a television, a sofa, a table, and such. It looked like any ordinary living room...

And that was when I finally saw the body.

My eyes widened in absolute horror.

It was hung upside down and nailed to the wall with giant screw into the palms of his hands, his feet, and his torso. The corpse had been cut viciously. Something that looked like a giblet was coming out from the wounds…

From the way they were positioned, they resembled an upside-down cross. They probably never had a chance.

This wasn't murder. It was a torture-filled execution.

The smell of death seemed to enclose around me...its disgusting odor was horriying...My body acted on its own in response to this moment.

I threw up. I emptied all of the contents of my stomach out onto the ground. It was bad enough when I saw the bodies of Vizor's victims, but this...this made her victims' deaths look clean by comparison.

The scent of death refused to fade away as I continued staring at the corpse in horror. I wanted to look away, but my eyes were glued to the terrifying sight.

What was left of the guy's face had an expression of absolute pain and horror etched into it. I couldn't help but wonder how long he suffered before death finally gave him a release from his pain.

Whoever did this was not human.

WHAT SANE PERSON COULD KILL SOMEBODY LIKE THIS?!

I covered my mouth to keep from throwing up again.

I could see blood pooled on the ground below the poor bastard, more of it leaking from his corpse. I also noticed writing on the wall...In the victim's own blood.

"Wha-What...WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS!?"

I was shocked when I got a response.

"It's written as "Punishment for those who did bad deeds!". I just borrowed the sentence from someone important." said the voice of a man behind me.

Fuck! It never occurred to me that the killer could still be here. It was a stupid mistake.

I turned around to see a man with white hair. He was clearly a foreigner but still looked like he could still possibly be in his teens. He was dressed as a priest and may have qualified as a bishounen if not for the incredibly evil-seeming smile on his face when he saw me.

"Hmm hmm. Well, well, if it isn't a Devil-kun!" He sounded disturbingly happy even though there was a corpse hanging on the wall beside us.

I immediately figured out what this guy was: An exorcist.

Friendly people from the church like Asia didn't seem to be a threat, but this was an exorcist. He is an enemy for sure. His power is supported by the prayer of God. He's a priest so he's related to the church. He even knew I was a Devil...In the worst-case scenario, I may have to fight this guy.

"I'm a priest~ A boy priest~ I cut down devil-like people~, and I laugh at them~ I cut the head of you Devils, and receive my meal~ "

He...He was singing...W-What...What the fuck is wrong with this guy?!

"My name is Freed Zelzan. I belong to a certain Exorcism organisation. Ah, just because I introduced myself doesn't mean you have to. I don't want to remember your name in my memory, so please don't. It's okay, since you are going to die soon. I will make sure of it. It might hurt at first, but later you will feel so good that you will cry. Now let's open the new door _-ZE_!"

He never gave me the chance to get a word in. He was unique, I'd give him that...Wait.

What was that about me dying now? Ah yes. He's an exorcist so of course he's going to try and kill me, a Devil.

But I had another question on my mind. My previous horror was replaced by a boiling anger. He was the only other person around...so I had to know.

I clenched my fists at my sides. "Tell me...were you the one who did this? Were you the one who murdered this guy here?"

The exorcist nodded cheerfully. "Yes, yes. I killed him. Because~, he was a regular criminal who has been summoning Devils, so I had to kill him."

He didn't even try to excuse himself. He showed no remorse for taking a man's life. A man who had hopes and dreams, wishes for the future.

"Huh? Are you shocked? Aren't you running away? That's weird? Really Weird. I mean humans who make a pact with Devils are scum. Scum indeed. Can't you understand that? No? Is that so? Well you are a scum Devil after all."

Hi, Pot. My name's Kettle. Have we met?

This guy was a murdering psychopath and he's calling ME scum?!

My rage continued boiling deep inside me.

"You sick, sadistic fucker! How can you kill another human being so easily?!" I felt so disgusted. "Aren't Exorcists only supposed to kill Devils?!"

"Haaaaa? What the fuck is that? A mere Devil like you is lecturing me?" The Exorcist asked in a mocking tone. "Hahaha! I will laugh at this. You probably could get a reward for being funny. Okay then, listen carefully you shitty Devil-"

"Who the Hell are you calling a shitty Devil, you shitty priest!?"

The Exorcist blinked at my comeback, as if he expected me to wait while he finished his rant. "Oh ho! The shitty Devil before me has a pair of his own now, doesn't he?!" He said this with his previous sadistic grin. "The last few I killed begged for their lives the moment they met me. No fun whatsoever! You at least have a mouth on you!"

I stared. I then realized that this man had to have killed other Devils before. I pictured people like Kiba, Akeno, and Koneko being cut down by this man who held no remorse. That pissed me off even further. Sure I wasn't too buddy-buddy with them, but my fellow servants weren't bad people. I wouldn't wish such a death upon my worst enemy.

The exorcist then shook his head. "Anyway~, as I was saying-"

It was at that point that my fist met his face, knocking him backward.

The shitty priest regained his balance and drew a bladeless sword and a gun. He looked like he was trying to decide whether he was pissed for being punched or excited to be allowed to cut me into little Devil pieces.

I glared at him. "I don't want to hear another damn word out of your rotten mouth, you shitty priest! I don't give a fuck if you're supposed to be a servant of God or whatever! You won't get any mercy here because I'm sending you straight to Hell, you fucking psycho!"

I wasn't sure whether or not I felt justified in murdering this depraved bastard, but I couldn't stand to hear him talk anymore...OK, so maybe I wouldn't kill him, but I was certainly going to make him hurt like Hell.

"Ah that's right. I don't know why I'm wasting my time speaking to a Devil I'm about to kill." He shrugged to himself. A strange sound vibrated in the air and the sword that was only a handle before somehow turned into a type of beam saber like what a Gundam would wield. "You kind of irritate me, so can I cut you? Can I shoot you? Is it OK? Okay then. Now I'm going to stab your heart with this _blade of light_, and I'm going to blow your head with this cool looking gun! Man, I'm seriously going to fall in love!"

What the fu-

I didn't get to finish that thought because the shitty priest started to sprint towards me. He slashed at me. I leaned right and dodged his blade by an inch. I quickly rushed forward and grabbed the arm holding his sword to keep him from moving it as I brought my other fist around, slamming it right into the side of his face again. I jumped backwards just in time to avoid a bullet shot at my leg. It had to have been a bullet of light, too, considering this guy was an exorcist. A bullet that could harm a Devil...To a Devil, light is poisonous. Once hit, the pain goes through your entire body.

Thank Maou-sama for a Devil's enhanced reflexes and instincts.

It was still close though. If I had been a second slower, I would've been shot in the leg and the battle would be over. For people like me against an opponent with weapons, it's important that you never lose your mobility.

"I'm impressed you've lasted this long without getting hit, but you are seriously annoying me, so could you die now?"

Wait...I WASN'T weaponless...I had one weapon left.

I raised my left arm. "SACRED GEAR!" It was the only name I knew it by, so it was all that I could call it.

There was a brief flash of light as a familiar red cloth appeared around my arm with a green gem in the back of my hand.

"Oh! So this Devil-kun is also a possessor of Sacred Gear~! Now I REALLY want to kill you! Can I pretty please stab you and fill you with bullets~?!" He sounded as if just saying 'please' would make me say yes to letting him kill me.

I glared at him. "First of all: No to that last question. Second: This is MY Sacred Gear. I may not know its name, but I'm sure as Hell that I can still use it to kick your ass!" I felt strange with my Sacred Gear active. It was a strange sensation emanating from my left arm. It was like the Sacred Gear was nibbling on my energy.

I didn't have time to focus on that because the shitty priest was charging again. He swung his light sword at me, giving me little time to dodge. I managed to do so, but I cringed as the blade made a shallow cut at my side. I spun on my heels as did Freed in order to exchange more blows. He tried swinging again, but I dodged the worst part of the blade which barely missed cutting off my face, just scratching it. It still hurt more than it should have though.

That must've been the power of a light weapon. It hurt a bit more now that I've become a Devil but it certainly didn't hurt as much as being run through by a spear of light. On the bright side, he didn't come out unscathed either.

As we turned around, I feinted a blow to his face before throwing the real blow towards his stomach with my left fist, knocking the wind out of him and sending him flying backwards into a wall, breaking a huge hole in it.

I stared and then turned my gaze down to my left arm. I blinked.

Is that the power of my Sacred Gear? I never could have hit that hard as a human.

Freed stumbled out of the rubble of the destroyed wall with his expression becoming more pissed off. I had apparently punched him hard enough that blood was dripping from the front of his forehead, perhaps having been cut up by the debris. His uniform was much more torn than it was before. "Damn...this shitty Devil is really pissing me off. Oh! But it appears I got him too!"

I then felt a sudden pain in my right shoulder and something warm flowing down my shoulder and torso. I groaned as I pressed my hand against the wound to stifle the bleeding. It hurt a lot more than the sword wounds because it was a clear hit.

Damn! I was an idiot. I hadn't kept an eye on his other hand that held the gun. He must've shot me when I punched him in the stomach.

I stared at my left arm which held my Sacred Gear. I could still feel it eating bits of me energy. Maybe it was my energy powering it that allowed me to punch so hard. What would happen if I gave it a bit more...

I flinched as I focused my mind on feeding energy to my Sacred Gear. It ate away at my power happily. I could feel a strange aura surround my Sacred Gear.

"Die, die, Devil! Die Devil! Turn to dust and disappear! This is all for my entertainment!" Freed's sadistic grin grew once more as he moved quickly yet again. I had been to focused on my Sacred Gear that I had once again stopped paying attention. He was too close for me to dodge and I instinctively raised my left arm to defend. I may lose an arm, but it was better than dying.

I was surprised when his sword slammed against my arm without cutting all the way through.

Even against a regular metal sword, that light sword would probably have cut all the way through.

With the power of my Sacred Gear and it's aura, my arm must've become tough enough to defend against his strike.

I wonder...

"Damn! Why can't I just cut through this shitty Devil?!" Freed showed great anger at not being able to cut through my arm with his sword. I had to admit I felt a little happy seeing him so pissed off.

I gave a quick push forward, knocking Freed off balance long enough for me to disengage. My wounds were seriously beginning to bleed now. I was going to run, but I had to find a way to beat this guy. He certainly wasn't called an Exorcist for nothing. He was definitely stronger than the average human. My normal street brawling-style moves would never have worked on this guy without my Devil abilities...as annoying as it is to admit.

In hindsight, disengaging was not a very good idea against a guy with a gun.

I felt a second bullet go into my right shoulder and one go into my left leg.

To put the amount of pain I was in into a single word: FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!

Not once, but TWICE I had been shot in the fucking shoulder! It burned like Hell!

I don't think I've ever been closer to death than I was at that moment (excluding the time where Yuuma/Raynare ACTUALLY killed me).

It was in that one second of distraction that the shitty priest took that moment to kick me right in the stomach, knocking me off my feet and onto the floor. I tried to get up, but Freed planted his foot firmly on my chest, his gun aimed at me.

"I'd like to say it's been fun, but you cost me my good coat, shitty Devil. I will say it'll be fun finally killing you~! Guess you were pretty weak after all~! Please finally die for my entertainment~!"

He laughed like a maniac as he took his sweet time to kill me.

Seriously, if you're holding someone at gunpoint, planning to kill them, just do it. Don't be a dick about it. I was pretty sure I was going to die...AGAIN.

"Please stop!"

My eyes widened at the familiar voice.

….No...it couldn't be!

Both the shitty priest and I turned towards the direction of the voice at the entrance of the room.

Sure enough, the blonde-haired Sister was standing in the doorway, staring in shock as she observed Freed about to finish me off.

"Well if it isn't my assistant, Asia-chan. What happened? Did you finish putting the barrier?"

No...No no no no NO! Out of everyone...It can't be...Asia...you're not really...

I was too shocked to finish a single thought.

If Asia had planned on answering Freed's question, I would never know because it was at that moment that she noticed our deceased 'friend' nailed to the wall.

She screamed in horror.

"Oh yeah, this is your first time seeing a corpse like this, isn't it, Asia-chan?" Freed asked. "Then look carefully. We have the humans that are entranced by a Devil die like this."

"…N-No…" Asia apparently couldn't believe what she was hearing. She was horrified not only by Freed's words but also the corpse present in the room.

This girl...why is she hanging around a sicko like Freed?!

It was then that the Sister noticed me pinned under Freed's foot. Her eyes widened in further shock.

"…Father Freed…that person…"

The shitty priest laughed at her attempted sentence. "Person? No, no. This shit here is a Devil. Hahaha, what are you misunderstanding?"

Asia stared at me. I couldn't bear to look her in those sad eyes of hers.

"Shirou-san...is a Devil...?"

Freed continued to laugh. "What, what!? You guys know each other!? Wow! Now this is a big surprise! Is it the forbidden love between a Devil and a Sister? Seriously!? Are you serious?!"

I frowned. I...I wasn't quite sure what to say. I had to at least explain. "Asia...I-"

Freed lifted his foot up for just a second before slamming it back down right on my shoulder wound. I resisted the urge to scream from the pain, but it felt like someone was driving a hundred nails into my shoulder.

"Shut it, shitty Devil!"

Asia looked like she didn't quite know what to do...

I never intended her to find out. It would've been better if she had never known really. The two of us forever being strangers. Maybe it would've been nice if a single person could've lived in blissful ignorance of my title of the [Demon King of Kuoh]. Maybe someone who saw me as a somewhat helpful high school student. Someone who saw me as NORMAL.

Apparently God wanted to taunt me further, letting me know once again that I would forever be seen as some kind of monster by everyone. That I would only be seen as an outcast.

It didn't help that Asia's eyes made me feel ten times worse. I felt ashamed for the first time for being reborn as a Devil.

Damn it...Damn it all...

"Ahaha! Devils and humans can never coexist!" This shitty priest was SERIOUSLY starting to piss me off. "Especially humans from the Church and the Devils who are the biggest of enemies! Also, we are a group of heretics that were deserted by God. Asia-tan and I are humans who can't survive without the support of Fallen Angels-sama."

….Fallen Angels...? Asia and this shitty priest work for the Fallen Angels...?

It-It didn't make any sense. Priests and nuns are supposed to serve God, aren't they?

"So we're supposed to KILL shitty Devils like this one right here!" He lifted his foot off of me and pulled back his leg before delivering a sharp kick to my side, sending me rolling away from him. "I need to kill this trash here or else I can't finish my job, so here I come. Are you ready?"

I rolled onto my front and managed to push myself onto all fours. If I just laid there, I was going to die for certain.

I felt another sharp pain in my shoulder. My wounds from earlier were acting up. I couldn't move without an immense amount of pain.

I couldn't move as the shitty priest prepared to thrust his light sword into me one final time.

I was certain I was going to die...I wouldn't survive the fatal blow that was directed at me. Even if I could dodge it...I could feel my Sacred Gear draining my power...I overdid it...I used too much energy too fast with what I now call 'Reinforcement'.

Not again...I was brought back to fulfill my dream and just as easily, the world was going to snatch away my life again!

While I was lamenting my imminent demise, I was snapped back to reality when a certain blonde Sister stepped between me and the shitty priest. Her arms were spread as if...

No...is she...protecting me?

The shitty priest put on a stern expression. "…Hey, hey. Are you serious? Asia-tan, do you know what you are doing?"

"…I do. Father Freed, I beg you. Please forgive this person. Please let him go."

I stared, speechless at Asia's words...even though I am a Devil and she is a nun, she was protecting me.

"I can't stand it any more… You can't kill people just because they are entranced to a Devil and you also can't kill Devils. It's wrong!" There was no fear in her words and I was rather impressed.

"Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!?" Freed seemed to have an expression that was a mix of annoyance, confusion, and anger. "Don't talk shit, bitch! You also learned that Devils are trashes at the Church! Seriously, is there something wrong with your brain!?"

"There are good people, even among Devils!" Asia defended.

"There aren't, idiooooooot!"

Asia seemed to waver for just a moment, but she came back stronger than before. "T-That's what I thought until recently… But Shirou-san is a good person! That fact doesn't change even after I found out that he is a Devil! Killing someone is unforgivable! This kind of act! God won't allow such acts!"

I couldn't believe it...even after seeing the body and learning that I was a Devil, she was still so strong...I-

Then I saw the shitty priest bringing his gun around.

The shitty priest showed shock as I suddenly appeared in front of Asia, grabbing the arm that had been swinging around to strike Asia. My body had reacted on its own despite the pain I was in.

"Now, _Freed_...Don't you know that it's impolite to hit a lady?" Malice dripped from my words. "I don't have many rules to life, but there is one I hold near and dear to me: Never-and I mean NEVER-hit such a cute girl like Asia!" I then delivered a quick punch to his face with my other free arm, knocking the shitty priest of balance again. This time I left a fairly large bruise on his face.

"Shirou-san..." Asia was still staring at me. Whether it was because of my wounds, because I was a Devil, or because I just clocked the guy she was assisting, I'm not sure.

I had a soft expression on my face. "You saved me, so allow me to repay my debt, Asia...I will protect you. I promise." In some part of my mind, I bet that I looked like a total badass.

But who was I kidding? I was in no shape to do anything. I had a few more punches left in me, but I was drained because of my Sacred Gear and my injuries. There was no way I was going to walk out of this alive.

The shitty priest once again recovered from my punch. "Eh? So the shitty Devil still has some fight left in him? You will die, you know? You will die with a lot of pain? I have no intention of killing you painlessly, okay?"

I figured that was obvious from the body pinned to the wall. I turned back to Asia and said in the sharpest of whispers, "Run! I'll hold him off! Just run!" I didn't wait for a response since Freed certainly wasn't.

"Now then. Let's see if I can make a new record for the smallest minced-meat!"

I'll protect Asia with my very life if needed! I can't afford to back down here!

The shitty priest was about to move forward when the floor began to glow with lights of blue and white.

"What is this?" Freed asked. He was just as surprised as I was. Then the light began to shape into a familiar magic circle.

There was a sudden huge flash of light that blinded all of the occupants of the room.

When the light finally faded, I was surprised to see several familiar people standing in the middle of the magic circle.

"Fujimura-kun, we came to rescue you." Oh shove it with your knightly attitude, Kiba.

"Ara ara. This is awful."

"…Priest."

Well, Akeno-san and Koneko-chan were better. One was an Onee-sama while the other was admittedly cute. I didn't mind much.

I clicked my tongue.

Ah yes, they've come to save Buchou's [Evil Piece] from being destroyed.

The shitty priest then started slashing his sword. "Hyahou! Here's a present for a group of Devils!"

Kiba rushed forward and blocked Freed's sword with his own.

"I'm sorry. He's one of us! We can't let you lay a finger on him!"

"Oh, oh! A mere Devil being concerned about their comrade? What are you guys? Devil Squadron, the Devil Rangers? That's nice. I can feel the heat. I'm getting turned on! So how is it? Are you one the sticking it in, and is he the one bending? So are you guys in that sort of relationship?"

It's amazing how much of a cocky and disturbing bastard this shitty priest is.

Looking down on an opponent is usually a very bad mistake when you don't know their power...but ew.

"…What a vulgar mouth. It's hard to believe you are a priest… Oh, that's why you are a "Stray Exorcist", right?" So Kiba had the same opinion apparently.

As the two spoke, they continued crossing blades. It didn't appear that either was gaining a clear advantage.

"Yeah, yeah! I'm vulgar! Sorry about that! That's because I strayed away! I was kicked out! That's why-screw the Vatican! I'm all right as long as I get to cut Devils whenever I feel like it!"

I really CAN see why this guy was excommunicated...As for Asia, not so much.

Kiba's expression was calm, but his eyes followed his opponent's every move.

The shitty priest seemed to really be enjoying the fight.

"You are the type that is the most hard to deal with. Someone who feels like they are living by cutting Devils…the one who causes the most harm to us."

Definitely. People who kill for fun are nothing but dangerous monsters.

"Haaaaah!? You know, I don't want to be told off by a Devil? I'm trying to live now just like other people! I'm not in a position where pests like you can talk down to me!"

"Even Devils have rules...you shitty priest..." I spat out at him. My blood loss was starting to make me feel dizzy. Not a lethal amount of blood loss yet, but it wasn't pleasant.

"Ah, I figured you'd be dead by now. Ah well~! I can get back to you once I'm done, so wait your turn~!"

"Now, I don't think I enjoy you threatening my adorable junior." Akeno-san said. Her eyes were serious and she showed clear hostility towards the shitty priest.

Freed grinned. "Nice. I like those passionate eyes. Onee-san, you are the best. I can feel your urge of wanting to kill me. Is this love? No. I think it's a killing intent! Superb! This is great! I love the feeling of intending to kill and getting intended to kill!"

"Then disappear."

Well if it isn't the crimson-haired princess herself.

Buchou appeared by my side. "Shirou, I'm sorry. I never expected that a Stray Exorcist will visit this client's house." I would've believed her sincerity if I didn't know she was only there because she didn't want to lose the [Evil Piece] inside of me. "Did you get wounded?"

I laughed, trying to play off my wounds. "Neh. This is just a scratch...well, it's several scratches actually...why is the world spinning?" I was getting more and more dizzy with each passing second.

I'm really not going to hear the end of this when this is over.

But Buchou didn't say anything to me and gave a cold expression to the priest.

"Looks like you have been looking after my cute servant?" I had to admit her voice was kinda unsettling and scary to anyone with a weaker will than me. She's definitely pissed right now.

"Yes, yes. I have been playing around with it. I was planning to cut his body all over but I was interrupted and it finished as a dream."

A second later, a huge area nearby the priest was blown away by Buchou's demonic power.

"I make sure I never forgive those who harm my servants. I especially can't forgive a lowlife like you damaging my personal possessions." Yep. Apparently she really is protective of her possessions. I at least had to admit she could take care of her stuff. That's one positive trait about the princess.

Buchou's killing intent flooded the room. It was much more powerful than anything I could manage at the moment. Perhaps it was more intense because of the demonic power surrounding Buchou.

I then felt the very air freeze.

"They're coming." I said in a soft whisper. I could sense their presences. At least several people were approaching and FAST. I could at least feel that.

Akeno-san noticed as well. "Buchou, there seems to be few Fallen Angels heading to this house. At this rate we will be at a disadvantage."

Fallen Angels...Wait. Would Kalawarner be one of them? Damn. This really isn't good. I can't fight her, but I can't just ignore her because then Buchou and the others would notice...

Buchou gave the shitty priest one final glance and appeared to be thinking.

"…Akeno, we will return to our headquarters once we retrieve Shirou. Prepare for teleportation."

"Yes." Akeno-san then did as instructed and began casting the spell.

….for once, I will refer to this as a tactical retreat rather than just running away.

I turned to Asia and stretched my hand towards her, gesturing her to come. "We're taking Asia with us!"

It was directed towards Buchou and it wasn't a request. I was going to save Asia.

"It's impossible." What? "Only Devils can use the magic-circle to transport. Also, this magic-circle can only teleport me and my servants."

No. No no no NO! I can't just leave her here!

"I won't leave her here!"

"It's not your choice, Shirou!" Buchou raised her voice at me, apparently unhappy with my stubborn resistance.

I tried running towards Asia, but I was held back by Kiba and Koneko-chan.

"Fujimura-kun, we have to retreat for now!"

"...No choice."

I struggled as they forced me back into the magic circle.

"Let me go, you bastards!"

I can't just leave like this!

I turned towards Asia and looked her in the eyes. She...she was smiling. I tried reaching out towards her again, but we were too far apart.

"Asia!"

"Shirou-san, let's meet again." Those were the last words spoken between us in this place.

The magic circle started glowing again a Akeno-san finished casting the teleportation spell.

"Like I will let you escape!" The shitty priest tried slashing at us again, but Koneko-chan threw a couch at him. He cut through it, but it stalled him long enough for the teleportation to start.

The last thing I remember before being swallowed by white was Asia's smile.

* * *

[ORC Clubhouse]

"There are two types of Exorcists." Buchou explained.

After we had returned, it took around thirty minutes for me to finally calm down and for Buchou and the others to be sure that I wouldn't try doing something stupid. I knew there was no chance at me going back with Buchou and the others around. I was currently resting while my wounds healed.

"The first are the Exorcists who receive the blessing from God to perform exorcism in the name of justice. This group of Exorcist borrows its power from God and Angels to eliminate Devils. And there is another one. — "Stray Exorcists"."

I raised an eyebrow. "I heard Kiba use that word back with Freed, 'Stray Exorcist'. What are they exactly?"

"Exorcism is a holy ceremony that is performed in the name of God. But sometimes, there are Exorcists who start to enjoy the act of killing Devils. They are beings who have found killing Devils as joy and as their purpose of life. So they get kicked out from the Church without exception or they get erased for being found guilty."

I nodded. "I take 'erased' to mean 'killed'. Is that correct?"

"Yes. But there are those who survive. What do you think happens to those Exorcists?" She asked rhetorically. "It's simple. They go to the Fallen Angels."

"So even Fallen Angels have servants." I noticed. "The Angels who were rejected by Heaven and the Exorcists who were rejected by the Church. It makes sense that the two groups would work with one another if their shared goal is to kill Devils."

"Yes." Buchou agreed. "That's why they are called "Stray Exorcists". So the dangerous Exorcists who became addicted to Devil-hunts started to attack Devils and the humans with connections to Devils by borrowing powers from the Fallen Angels. The boy priest from earlier is exactly that. He's a "Stray Exorcist" who belongs to an organisation with the support of the Fallen Angels. They are not proper Exorcists, but they are still dangerous like the proper ones. No, since they have no restrictions on them, they are much harder to deal with than the actual Exorcists. It's not smart to deal with them. So, the Church you went to before does not belong to God but to the Fallen Angels."

I felt my heart stop.

If that was where the Fallen Angels were based, then that would mean that Raynare was there too...I literally almost walked straight to my death again. With my guard down, she could've killed me in an instant.

Stray Exorcists really were more dangerous. More-so to the humans then the Devils. The Devils at least usually have a way of defending themselves. That shitty priest was definitely the worst. His only thought was that of killing Devils. A group like that was dangerous enough that even I wouldn't take them on alone.

However...

I turned to Buchou. "I have to save Asia!"

Kiba and Koneko-chan readied themselves, as if they were preparing to stop me from jumping out the window again (long story. I had been desperate to leave when I was still in a frenzy...).

"It's impossible. How will you fight them?"

I raised my left arm and summoned my Sacred Gear. "This is how! I'll use my Sacred Gear to save her! I at least know enough about it to do that!"

Buchou shook her head. "You are a Devil. And she is a servant of Fallen Angels. It's the two kinds that cannot coexist. Saving her means making the Fallen Angels your enemies. …If that happened, we would also have to fight."

"I don't know why Asia is involved with the Fallen Angels and I don't care! I have to do some-"

"I forbid you from getting further involved with the Fallen Angels."

There was a pause as I processed what Buchou had just said. "What?" I couldn't help the dangerous tone in my voice.

Buchou crossed her arms. "I can't have my servant getting involved further trouble."

I felt something snap inside of me. I was so angry and sad at the same time. "That's all Asia is to you? 'Trouble'? A human life matters so little to you?!" I stood up, my leg having recovered enough for me to stand up. "You have NO qualms with leaving that innocent girl there?!"

Buchou sighed. She was really starting to piss me off. "Shirou, listen-"

"No! YOU listen! I just...I..." I was so angry that I couldn't even figure out what I planned to say.

"Fujimura-kun..." Kiba tried placing a hand on my shoulder, as if trying to calm or comfort me, but I smacked it away.

"Oh what? Because we're fellow servants we're suddenly best friends now? Is that it, Kiba?! I don't need any of that comforting bullshit!" Kiba backed away uncertainly. "Well get this: I do not like you. I don't like ANY of you!" I gestured to everyone. "The only reason I'd ever bother to speak to any of you is because I have no choice since I'm a servant of the spoiled princess over there!" Everyone blinked in unison.

"That's enough, Shirou!" Buchou was clearly getting angry by this point after being insulted.

"No! It's not enough! I have taken your 'I'm your master' shit since DAY ONE! I'm not some dog to be trained and put on a leash! If I wanted to be called some kind of beast or dog, I would just actually pay attention to the things everyone in this shit town say about me! And if you're enough of a cold, spoiled princess that you'd leave such a kind and innocent girl like Asia to whatever fate the Fallen Angels have in store for her, then I'd rather be a Stray Devil than serve you! I...I wish you had never brought me back! DEATH has to be better than serving you!" I took great delight in the shocked silence that followed, everyone staring at me. "NOW it's enough!"

I didn't wait for anyone to say anything back because I stomped out of the room. I grabbed onto the doorknow, shooting everyone one last glare. "I'm going home!" Then I slammed the door shut.

I continued walking away from the ORC clubhouse and I was surprised that no one had followed me.

I'd have figured that they would interpret that as a resignation and immediately hunt me down. I have no problems with just heading home even if they count me a Stray Devil. They have enough rules that they wouldn't kill Mako-nee. Maybe wipe her memories, but not kill her.

I waited until I was a fair distance away from the clubhouse that I finally let it out.

I punched the wall beside me. I hadn't realized I still had my Sacred Gear active until I created a large crater in the wall.

I then leaned against the wall of the building I just punched and slid down to the ground, my legs spread in front of me.

"Damn it...damn it all..." I slammed my normal fist against the wall this time.

I haven't changed a single bit since I was little. I was the same weak child as I was back then.

I'm not a hero.

I couldn't keep a single promise.

I was enough of an ass to take my anger out on the others. Even Buchou didn't deserve what I said to her. I was never angry with them in the first place. It was myself who I was angry at. For being so worthless...

I was truly a worthless Devil.

* * *

_The next day..._

I sat on a bench in a children's park. I had skipped school that day because I wasn't sure whether or not I wanted to face the others after what I said yesterday. I would have no guarantee they wouldn't kill me on sight if they considered me a Stray.

My wounds from from the other day still hadn't completely healed and I was just being angry with myself.

With my injured leg and other injuries, I couldn't even take on Devil jobs in my state let alone take on the Fallen Angels and Stray Exorcists. If there were others who were kinda strong like Freed, then I was in trouble...

I may as well just enjoy the peace...Ha. Yeah right.

When I wasn't thinking about how much of an ass I was to the others, I was thinking about Asia and the fact my career as a Devil probably just vanished in smoke.

But I had to save Asia somehow...but I couldn't help but wonder how she ended up in that situation...

That sad look she had on her face on the day we met...maybe if I had asked about it, things never would've ended up like this. Maybe this was all my fault...

I have to find a way to get stronger! And fast too! I have no idea what's happening to Asia right now.

Without strength, you can't do anything as a Devil. I'm a [Pawn], so I have to work harder than anyone else. [Pawn]'s are initially the weakest piece, but with enough hard work and effort, they can become incredibly powerful.

That was when a loud growl came from my stomach.

DAMN IT, STOMACH! Now's not the time for food!

I sighed after the growling continued. I had skipped breakfast that morning.

"OK, breakfast first, then I go back to finding a way to save-" That was when a familiar golden-color appeared in my vision. The blonde hair of a familiar girl.

She noticed me as well and both of our eyes widened in surprise.

"Shirou-san?"

I continued staring.

"A-Asia?!"

**And with that, I am finished! I apologize if the fight scene was unsatisfactory to anyone! It was just how I thought it'd play out. So yeah...Shirou has a total butthole moment and shows a bit of his weaker inner self. Showing more of his inner character here. Shirou has a mixed character and stuff...deep shite like that...So...**

**Thanks for the reads and reviews~!**

**Bye-Bye~!**


	7. Chapter 6: Loneliness Part 1

**Here is the third chapter in a row that I've written for Devil Reborn~! HOORAY~! For once, having no internet has proven productive for me...yep. Depressing as it is...I really missed my internet. I probably won't have it for a while after posting this again...still working to get it back and I probably only temporarily have internet right now. I don't know when I'm posting this so this...I'm just writing this to have my usual author's note at the beginning.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except OC's.**

**Chapter 6:**

**Loneliness**

**Part 1**

Both Asia and I sat at a table in a local restaurant with food in front of us. I had to order for her because she couldn't speak Japanese and couldn't even understand the menu. I had to shoot quite a few glares at several of the male patrons who were eying her. I didn't want them getting any funny ideas.

I couldn't blame them though. Asia was one cute Sister. She had that kind of look that just made you want to protect her.

We sat opposite each other.

I remained in awkward silence. After the previous night, I was too shocked seeing Asia and unharmed at that. I mean I'm glad she's OK, but after everything that happened...

I sweatdropped at Asia who continued staring at the burger she held in her hands. She looked like she didn't know how to eat it...

Wait...does she really not know how to eat a burger? That...that's kinda depressing.

I decided to help her out. "You eat it by taking off the wrapper like this." I demonstrated.

"T-There's actually a way to eat like that!? A-Amazing!" I stared in awe of her reaction.

J-just...just too cute...There were no words to describe Asia's cuteness at that moment...

I took a few of my fries and ate them. "And you eat fwies rike dis." I said with my mouth filled with food.

Rather than eat the food herself, Asia simply stared at my fries.

"Erm...you...you eat too, you know." Asia stared at me before looking at her burger. She opened her mouth and took a bite. Her eyes lit up with surprise as she began to chew and swallow her food.

"Delicious!" She sounded very very surprised. "This is very delicious!"

I gave a small smile, small enough that nobody would really notice it. "You sound like you've never eaten a burger before."

"I haven't. This is my first time eating one! It's delicious!"

I blinked at Asia's statement. "You've NEVER had a burger before?!" I was genuinely shocked. "What do you normally eat?"

"Mainly bread and soup. I also eat vegetables and pasta food."

That sounds...boring. Bland and tasteless after a while of such simple foods. I would never survive working for a church. I need yummy stuff like hamburgers and ramen and all that yummy stuff! I would DIE...again.

"Well if that's the case, be sure to savor this." I advised. Asia nodded cheerfully.

"Yes. I will be sure to enjoy it." She took another bite of her foot and was clearly into her food.

What I really wanted to know was why she was at the park. She mumbled something about time off, but something wasn't right. She seemed like she was running away from something. She looked rather relieved upon seeing me. I really wanted to know what happened after Bu-Well I suppose it would be Rias now that I might possibly be a Stray after what I said. I tried asking Asia what happened, but she just completely avoided the question.

That unsettled me.

I suppose I wasn't all forthcoming about me being a Devil, so I guess it makes us even. I can't complain too much, but I was a little worried.

So for now, we'll just forget all that stuff.

There wasn't much to do about it. I just hope that Rias or the other Gremory servants don't suddenly appear and vaporize me.

I quickly stood up from my seat. Asia gave me a worried look.

"Shirou-san?"

"Hey, Asia, let's go have fun somewhere! My treat!" I was getting so worked up and depressed, but I may very well die anytime now. I might as well spend my time having fun. "Let's go."

Asia seemed uncertain, but smiled at me now that she was finished eating. "OK!" She grabbed my hand and we left.

* * *

Asia and I ended up going to the game center and playing several different games.

I've been there several times, but I never spent much time because playing by one's self tended to get boring after a while. Sure I got looks from everyone there who knew my name and reputation, but I ignored them and focused on me and Asia having fun.

I beat my highscores on ALL of the games I've played and still hold the number 1 on all of the ones I played...I'm really good at video games.

We had a lot of fun at the game center. Asia needed a little help at certain points, but she did well at most of the games she played. We played for a while and eventually Asia set her sights on a cute-looking stuffed animal in one of those skill crane games. I ended up playing and won on my first try.

It was totally worth it when I saw Asia's extremely happy expression.

We played for a long time until it started to get dark out. It was evening and we had to leave the game center. We went to a bunch of other shops and stuff and we both had quite a bit of fun. It was the first time in a while (excluding my murderous, psycho bitch, ex-girlfriend, Yuuma/Raynare) that I've had serious fun hanging around town with a friend.

...speaking of which, I was feeling horrible deja vu...again. Well, I felt this on my-er-'date' with Kalawarner, too, so maybe it won't end badly.

After all, all this time I was able to hide my slight limp from my leg injury.

THAT was the thought that jinxed it.

I was rather tired from our time playing today that I was running low on actual energy. I ended up tripping on a small crater in the ground and almost fell over. I tried to recover quickly, but Asia still noticed it.

I had tripped because of my tiredness and the small pain that still existed from my previous wound. I could still feel the 'scratches' that shitty priest put on my shoulder and my side with his gun and sword respectively.

It healed quite well due to the brief healing I received the previous night, but they were still there.

Asia gave me her "puppy dog eyes" look. "Shirou-san, are you still injured from yesterday?"

Damn. The evening was really good so far, but it was all ruined by reminding Asia of painful memories. How many, I don't know.

Asia then bended down and seemed to inspect my leg. "Can you please lift your trouser up?" She asked.

I stared, slightly confused, but I did as she asked and lifted it up to the calf, exposing the bullet mark that remained from the previous night. I resisted the urge to curse at myself once again for getting so easily distracted. I could've turned the fight around if I hadn't messed up.

The blonde-haired Sister placed a gentle hand on the injury and I was confused as to what she was doing until a warm and gentle, green light shined on my injury. It was green just like Asia's beautiful eyes. It was warm just like her personality.

A soft and gentle girl like Asia...just how did she get involved in such a dangerous world like this? It doesn't make any sense that she would be an assistant to Freed of all people! I mean it would be fine if she worked with the nicer Fallen Angels like Kalawarner, but I had a gut feeling that the person they were all reporting to was Raynare.

"How does it feel now?" Asia asked me, snapping me out of my thoughts. I finally realized she had finished her healing and I tested out my leg, walking a few steps and I was shocked to feel no pain whatsoever.

"That...that's amazing!" I exclaimed. "I figured you had some kind of healing Sacred Gear, but this is amazing!" I grinned a little. "If you went into medicine, you would make a killing."

"So Shirou-san also knows about Sacred Gear?" I nodded.

"You may have seen it last night. It was that cloth I wore around my arm with a gem in it. A strange form, but it seems to have some sort of 'Reinforcement' ability. I'm still not quite sure what its definite ability is though. Last night was just my instincts keeping me alive." Shit shit shit! Please disregard my reminder of the previous night! I laughed awkwardly. "Compared to my ability that only lets me hit things harder, you power is amazing, Asia." I scratched my head. "So from what I've observed, that power can heal everything and everyone, right? Humans, animals, and even Devils like me? That's-"

When a complicated yet sad expression appeared on her face along with the single tear that fell from her eyes, I was certain I had royally fucked up...

Then another tear. Then another and more and more and then she was completely crying.

Shit shit shit shit! She's crying! What do I do?! Think, Shirou, think! Say something!

"Sure I'll be yo-" I shook my head. Shit. I was flashbacking to Yuuma.

With no other choice, I brought Asia to sit on a bench on the roadside.

Feeling awkward, I rubbed Asia on the back as she continued crying. I really suck at these kind of situations. After a while, I finally got her to talk again. I asked what was wrong...

Then, she told me a story about the girl who was once called the "Holy Maiden".

In a certain region in Europe, there was a girl who was discarded by her parents.

She was raised in a Church nearby by a nun along with other orphans.

The girl who was a strong follower of the Church received a special power at the age of 8.

She healed a wounded puppy, and a person from the Catholic Church witnessed it by chance.

From there on, her life changed.

The girl was taken to the main Catholic Church and she was symbolized by many as a "Holy Maiden" because of her healing power.

She used her power to heal many believers and they were told it was a power of divine protection.

Rumors brought rumors and she was respected as a "Holy Maiden".

Even without her approval.

She had no dissatisfaction for how she was treated. People from the Church were kind and she didn't hate healing people.

She instead was happy that her power was of use.

The girl was thankful to her power which was bestowed to her by God.

But she was a bit lonely.

She didn't have any friends she could open up to.

Everyone treated her nicely and was nice to her. But there were no one willing to become her friend.

She understood why.

She knew that they were looking at her power as something irregular.

They didn't look at her as a human but as a creature that could heal humans.

But one day, it changed.

By coincidence, there was a Devil nearby and she healed it.

A wounded Devil. The girl couldn't ignore it.

She thought that even if it was a Devil, she had to heal it if it was injured.

It was her kindness that made her take such an action.

But that changed her life forever.

One of the people from the Church saw that incident and notified others of the Church.

The ministers of the Church were shocked about it.

"A power that can heal Devils!?"

"Something absurd like that cannot happen!"

"The power of healing can only heal the followers of God!"

Yes, there were several people who had the power to heal.

But the power to heal the Devil was out of the question. The people of the Church thought it was common sense that the power of healing doesn't work on Fallen Angels and Devils.

Apparently, a similar incident had happened in the past.

The power to heal Fallen Angels and Devils that were not protected by God. But that was feared as the power of a "Witch".

So the people saw her as a heretic.

"Damn witch that heals Devils!"

The girl who was respected as a Holy Maiden was then feared as a "Witch" and the Catholic Church abandoned her.

She didn't have anywhere to go and the organization of "Stray Exorcists" picked her up.

In other words, she had to get divine protection from the Fallen Angels.

But the girl never forgot to pray to God. She also never forgot to thank God.

Even so, the girl was abandoned.

God didn't save her.

What shocked her the most was that there was not even a single person in the Church that was willing to defend her.

There was no one who cared about her.

Once she had finished, I wasn't sure what to say. It didn't take a genius to realize that the girl was Asia.

This was her own tragic past.

"…It's because I didn't pray enough. It's because I'm clumsy. I'm so stupid that I can't even eat a burger by myself." Asia laughed while wiping her tears.

I gave her a soft tap on the head with my knuckle. "Baka..." Asia stared at me with tear-filled eyes.

I finally figured it out. Why I was so fixed on this girl and felt so close to her.

We were alike in the fact we were both so alone.

Our circumstances were different, but we both ended up being outcasts, rejected by the world. One act on both of our parts caused us to become outcasts...Well, for me, it was several acts following a single act. I was treated as a monster. I had to get stronger to keep the world from tearing me apart.

Asia did one kind act and was punished by the world, and more importantly both God and the Church.

I have 'friends', but I was still so alone. I never felt close to them because they would probably one day decide 'What a beast. Shirou is just a stupid freak'. I felt guilty about thinking such thoughts about Kiryuu, but it was a thought that always existed in my head. I cared about her and even those two idiots, Motohama and Matsuda. I definitely cared about Kalawarner, but so far I'm only assuming we are friends.

The difference between the two of us is that I kept fighting. I hurt people and beat people up, giving God numerous opportunities and reasons to kill me. Asia's only 'sin' was being the kindest person in the world with a heart of gold. Where was the justice in that?

Asia continued staring at me, still crying. "I'm sure I will make lots of friends one day. I have a dream. I want to go buy flowers with a friend, buying books and…talk…" She choked a little on her sobs.

Damn you, God...Why didn't you save Asia, you sick bastard?! She was one of the most loyal of your followers! How could you abandon her like this, you prick!? Why did you grant us these cursed powers in the first place? These powers that have caused untold harm and pain upon many of us... Was it all just some sick joke?!

"Oi. I was talking." I told Asia, who apparently didn't quite hear me before. "I'm a little hurt that you said you didn't have any friends. What does that make me?" I managed a genuinely pleased smile when Asia's eyes widened with realization. "I'm a Devil, but it's all right. I don't plan on taking the life of the woman who saved my life, and I won't take any price! You can call me whenever you feel like it! I'll even give you my phone number if you want it!"

"…Why?" Asia asked. I tapped her on the head with my knuckle again.

I sighed, shaking my head. "Do I have to spell it out? You-and-I-are-friends. We've played together the entire day. We've talked and laughed together. Therefore, we are friends. Human, Devil, God, Fallen Angels, none of that stuff matters! I'm actually fr-" I remembered me and Kalawarner being friends was supposed to be a secret. "We are friends, Asia!" It was the first time I felt so sure of those words. If I could be sure of only one thing, it was that Asia was my friend.

Asia stared still. "...is this a pact with a Devil?" This time I applied a little force into my fist, just making the hit sting just a bit. Just enough to get Asia's attention.

"It's not, baka! You and I are friends! Factions or any of that BS don't matter! We will talk when we want to, we will play when we want to, and yeah, I will also go shopping with you! Whether its books or flowers, we will go shopping much as you want and nobody will say a damn thing about it! Okay? As your friend, I will also protect you especially when no one else will! I promise I'll protect you, Asia!" I hope I didn't screw up again...I really suck at situations that don't involve my fists. I'm not much of a romantic. I'm not some smooth or charming prince or whatever like Kiba.

She started crying again, but she didn't seem so sad anymore. "I have no common sense and I don't know much about Japanese culture, Shirou-san."

I grinned again. "Neither do I and you don't see that stopping ME." I laughed at myself a little. "We could learn together! We could go see museums and other stuff like that that I'd normally never visit in my free time. Just anywhere really. There's stuff like samurai, sushi, and geisha!" I listed off some of the only words I knew of TRADITIONAL culture.

"I also don't know what to talk about with a friend." I laughed a bit more at how stupid that sounded. I somewhat awkwardly grabbed Asia's hand.

"If you can say that after we've talked together the entire day, then you are one silly girl. We've been talking like friends all day."

"…Will you become my friend?" Asia asked nervously.

"Have you not been listening to a single word I've said?" This time I gently patted her on the head. "I am your friend. There's no question about it. So let's get along, Asia." She nodded her head happily and I felt much happier inside.

Human, Devil, Fallen Angel, it doesn't matter. It may seem impossible, but there is no doubt in my mind that we could be friends regardless of what race we belonged to.

I will protect the smiles of my human friends like Kiryuu, especially Asia. I will also protect the smile of Kalawarner, who is also someone I care about. They are my friends and I won't let anyone get in the way of that! I'll protect them!

I was so happy...until I felt a familiar cold presence.

"It's impossible."

No...it can't be...not _her_...

I was left speechless as I turned in the direction of the voice. What I saw was a familiar, slender girl with silky black hair. My heart stopped.

This cold feeling...Even though I was angry...I knew was also fear. I didn't fear her, but my body remembered the sensation of being run through by this girl.

"Raynare..." I said out of shock.

The Fallen Angel's eyes widened. I realized my mistake and mentally cursed myself. There was no way I should've known that name without Kalawarner's information. It was too suspicious. I should've called her "Yuuma" which was the only name I was supposed to know her by.

"You. I see you survived by turning into a Devil. How is it you knew my name?"

Asia looked at me and then at Raynare, perhaps wondering what our connection was. "...Raynare-sama..."

I ignored Asia's small outburst and gave a confident smile to Raynare. I flipped my hair in front of my face with my hand like some kind of overconfident pretty boy. "I make it my mission to make sure I know the name of every pretty girl." It was the best way to dodge the question. I was mostly trying to figure out what she was doing here.

"...You're horrible at flirting." I felt a figurative arrow stab me through the chest at Raynare's sharp words.

My expression then became serious. "So, what do you want?" I stood up and stepped in front of Asia protectively.

She glared. "I don't want a filthy low-class Devil like you talking to me." Her expression became one of disgust.

So she's one of those 'All other races are trash' kind of Fallen Angels. Figures.

"That girl. Asia, is our personal belonging. Can I have her back?" Yeaaa-No. "Asia, you know it's useless to run away."

It was that one statement that made me realize something from earlier. That afraid look on Asia's face. How relieved she was when she saw me...She had been running away from the Fallen Angels.

I made sure to completely hide Asia behind me, blocking her from Raynare's sight. "I won't let you lay a hand on Asia!" Asia clung to my back, tightening her grip on me.

"I don't want to return to that Church. I don't want to return to the people who kill other people. …Also, you people did things to me…" Those words made me angrier. What the Hell did this bitch do to Asia?!

I raised my fists, ready to fight. "You heard the lady. She's not going anywhere!"

Raynare laughed at me. "Oh how cute~! The little Devil is trying to play the hero~!" Her expression once again turned harsh. "I'm afraid you don't have a say in the matter. Asia is very essential to our plan. I even spent my time looking for her."

"What are you planning, Raynare?!" I had to know why she was so desperate to get her hands back on Asia. Sure her Sacred Gear was powerful, but Raynare's reasons seemed to go much much deeper than that.

"Low-class Devil, don't call me by my name." She said 'Devil' like it was some sort of curse. "My name will get filthy. What's between us doesn't have anything to do with you. If you don't go back to your master's place quickly, you will die, you know?" That was when she summoned a light spear.

I tensed, my body remembering how that spear felt. I can't hesitate now! I'll have to fight!

I raised my left arm towards the sky. "Sacred Gear!" My Sacred Gear of red covered my arm completely.

Raynare's eyes expressed shock before narrowing. "So, you've learned to summon your Sacred Gear."

I laughed a little. "Yeah. You know the ironic thing? I didn't learn to use it until AFTER you killed me for being a threat. Looks like you fucked up, Raynare. But thanks. Now I have a tool I can use to kick your ass."

The Fallen Angel scowled at my insult. "Hm, I've yet to see whether your Sacred Gear is as dangerous as the higher-ups have said. I honestly expected trash like you to have a more common Sacred Gear like [Twice Critical], but apparently I was wrong. It doesn't matter either way. I'll correct my mistake in not making sure you stayed dead right now."

I glared. "I'm not as weak as I was before, Raynare. This time, I'm planting my foot straight up your ass!"

By this point, I could tell I was just pissing Raynare off. "Cocky words considering the fact that you lasted a SECOND before I stabbed you in the heart."

"Are you speaking figuratively or literally? Cos you did both actually." I admitted.

I had no choice but to fight now. After everything I said, I couldn't just walk back to Bu-Rias and the others and ask them to hide Asia. I would have to get away from this situation first in order to do that. I had to fight my crazy ex-girlfriend.

I glared at my Sacred Gear. "OK, buddy. You can reinforce my power, right? Then get to it!"

I didn't waste any time or bother with reserving my power. I fed as much power as I could to my Sacred Gear, allowing a familiar aura to surround my left arm.

"I hope you've enjoyed your last day alive again!" Raynare threw her light spear at me. With tremendous force, I swung my left arm around, smashing right into the deadly light weapon. There was a secondary pause before a crack appeared in the spear shortly before it crumbled into dust. I doubt it would have gone the same way if I hadn't completely poured all of my power into that punch.

I smirked. "HA! Looks like your pretty little trick isn't going to work a second time, you crow!"

Raynare scowled at my insult. "I'll have you know that small spear I threw at you was only a fraction of what I could unleash. I'm surprised you managed to stop that one even with your Sacred Gear."

And once again she was looking down on me! I'll show her!

I used my Devil agility and leaped high into the air, coming down on Raynare with my Sacred Gear-powered left fist. She used her wings and flapped out of the way just in time as I smashed a huge crater into the spot where she had been standing a moment before.

I looked back at her and saw the surprised expression on her face. I got her good!

"How did you-?!" She seemed genuinely shocked by how much power my Sacred Gear had given me.

"Like I said. I'm not as weak as I was before, Raynare."

"But still stupid enough to walk into a trap!" My eyes widened.

That wasn't Raynare's nor Asia's voice.

A second later, a light spear pierced through my chest from behind me. I stared down at it in shock before turning my head around slightly to see two unfamiliar Fallen Angels behind me.

One wore a trench coat and a fedora while the other was a girl who was dressed in a gothic lolita style.

I turned back towards Raynare before coughing up a mouthful of blood onto the ground. "Damn you..."

Raynare's cocky attitude from before returned. "Where was that bravado you had showed before, Shirou?" I was glaring daggers at her despite the blood that was coming out of my mouth. The light spear that one of the other two had thrown vanished, allowing blood to spew from the new hole in my chest.

"I...I will...protect Asia..." I said in shallow whispers despite the fact it had become nearly impossible to breath due to the hole that was now in my lungs. With great effort, I took a step towards Raynare, stopping her words in an instant and replacing her expression with another shocked one.

"No way! How are you even still standing!?" I continued taking one unsteady step after another towards the unmoving Raynare.

"Shirou-san..." I couldn't see her, but Asia sounded like she was about to cry again. "Please...just stop..."

I grinned, blood staining my teeth. "This...this ain't...nuthin..." I continued glaring daggers at Raynare who was still shocked.

"H-How?! A stupid low-class Devil like you shouldn't have that kind of endurance!" She sounded afraid. Afraid of what she didn't understand. It should've been impossible for me to speak let alone move even if I was a Devil. The thing that kept driving me forward was the wish to beat the shit out of this girl in order to protect Asia.

That was when the second light spear pierced me from behind, stabbing right through my abdomen.

"How about we play a game~?" asked the gothic lolita Fallen Angel. "Whoever delivers the killing blow wins~!"

That was when the third light spear pierced whichever organ...I couldn't even keep track anymore.

That was when I had finally stopped walking. The willpower that had been driving my body forward before had been completely wiped out.

I couldn't move...everything was starting to feel cold. It was only at that moment that I finally took notice of all of the blood flowing down the front and back of my body. Even though Raynare was right in front of me, I couldn't move to attack her.

No. NO! Not now! She's right in front of me! Just a bit more!

"...Die..." I breathed out. I had to beat this crow right there. My numbness in response to my injuries was beginning to wear off as I reached forward with an incredibly shaky hand. It was like my arm was resisting my command with an equal amount of force.

Raynare took two uncertain steps back.

"N-No...STAY AWAY!" She backed away further as I reached out...

And then the world turned sideways. And then I was laying flat against the ground.

That was when I was hit by the full-force of the pain from my injuries. It felt like someone had lit my entire body on fire while stepping on my lungs and suffocating me.

I opened my mouth and released noiseless screams, no longer able to produce even a squeak. My body was trembling as I desperately fought off the darkness that was beginning to cloud my vision. I tried using more and more of my willpower, but I was spent. I couldn't so much as flex my pinky finger.

Yet again, I was going to die...

NO! I have to save Asia! I can't die without doing that! I can't! Move, you stupid body of mine! MOVE!

"Please! Stop it!" A voice screamed. I was only able to make out the vague sound of Asia's voice. The darkness was beginning to close in around me, but I refused to let it take me. With what obscured vision I had left, I was able to see someone's feet walk right in front of me, between me and Raynare.

...Asia...

I couldn't even say her name anymore. Just being stuck in that spot, being absolutely useless...that hurt more than all of my injuries combined.

"Please!...Just stop fighting, Shirou-san..."

W-What?! She was talking to me?!

"I...I don't want you to get hurt anymore, so please...just stop fighting..." I couldn't see her face, but I could feel in my gut that Asia was crying...she was crying because of me. "R-Raynare-sama. If you let me save this Devil, then I will go back with you with no resistance...Please. Just let spare him!"

This is bad! I can't let them take Asia back!

Raynare seemed to have finally realized I was down for good because her arrogant tone came back.

"Very well. I will let that Devil live if you come back with me." Raynare replied after a few seconds of thinking. "Your Sacred Gear is essential for our plan after all. Your power, the [Twilight Healing], is a rare Sacred Gear. If you don't come with me, I will have to kill that Devil."

I went from savior to hostage in the span of ten seconds. I wanted to object or do SOMETHING! Unfortunately, my body still refused to move. My blood was about to run out. I was definitely going to die unless I did something. My injuries...

-were starting to be healed?!

I saw a green light out of the corner of my vision and could feel the pain in my body gradually fade away. Now my exhaustion was due to bloodloss rather than slowly slipping into imminent death. The pain eventually vanished entirely in the face of the pleasant, green light that engulfed my body.

After a minute, it was done.

I was still laying on the ground, possessing next to no energy.

"I am done. I am ready to go now." Asia said without hesitation.

Now that I wasn't dying, I had regained enough power to properly control my arms. I started to use my arms to push myself off of the ground when someone jumped right on my back, stabbing right into it with their heels.

"You should stay down if you know what's good for you, low-class Devil-kun~!" It was that kinda sadistic, gothic lolita girl. She stomped on my back one more time for good measure, knocking me right back to the ground.

"Get your fat ass off of me..." I was answered by another stomp to the back.

"Shut it!"

I tried reaching out towards Asia, but she was too far out of my reach. Despite this, I shot a furious glare at the Fallen Angel next to her. "Raynare...If you lay a single hand on Asia, I swear I'll-"

"It's fine, Shirou-san." It was Asia who answered. "You don't have to worry anymore." She then bowed to me. "Thank you for today. It was really fun." She didn't sound afraid at all, regardless of the fate that Raynare held in store for her.

"Good girl, Asia. That's it. Problem solved. With today's ritual, you will be freed from your suffering."

I didn't like that new expression on Raynare's face. And what's this about a 'ritual'?

Asia smiled at me one last time. "Goodbye."

No! I promised I'd protect you, Asia! Don't say 'Goodbye' like something bad'll happen!

Then Raynare covered Asia with her wings.

"Low-class Devil, looks like you were saved because of this girl. If you get in my way again, I will definitely kill you. Goodbye, Shirou-kun."

"So long, low-class Devil-kun~!" The weight on my back vanished along with Raynare and Asia. I could sense the third Fallen Angel guy vanish as well.

"No...NO! It can't end like this! NO NO NO! ASIAAAAA!" I screamed.

I could feel my overworked body finally beginning to shutdown. I couldn't move anymore.

I can't...No...Asia...

I caught a glimpse of black feathers and a worried expression before everything faded to black.

* * *

"-rou..."

Wha-?

"...Shi-..."

Someone was calling my name...

"...Shirou..."

The voice sounded so sad...

"Please wake up, Shirou..."

Someone was gently stroking my cheek, as if lovingly, causing me to open my eyes. I stared into the familiar eyes of my only Fallen Angel friend.

I didn't know who was more surprised: Me or her.

"...So..." I said, feeling awkward like the silence we had entered. "This pillow my head is laying on...it's not a pillow, is it?"

Kalawarner's cheeks pinked slightly as she shook her head. "No. I was j-just making sure you were comfortable while you were recovering, s-so I just laid your head down in my lap." Ooh! Lap pillow. Her thighs were so so-NO! Bad ero mind! Bad!

I stared curiously. "'Recovering'?"

"I-I found you unconscious, laying in your own blood in the park." Kalawarner shook her head. "The others had already left, taking that nun back to our base."

It was those words that completely snapped me out of my daze. I shot up out of Kalawarner's admittedly comfortable lap. "Asia!" I immediately leapt up from the couch she had been sitting on and stumbled to my feet. "I have to save A-WHOA!" I tripped on the rug and fell face-first onto the unforgiving floor of Kalawarner's house. I got back to my feet, brushing myself off as I blushed slightly out of embarrassment. "That...didn't just happen. NOW I have to save Asia."

I started running for the door when Kalawarner suddenly appeared in front of me. I blinked twice, looking back at where she had been sitting and then back to her and back and forth several times, stunned by how fast she moved. After I snapped out of it, I started walking forward again only for Kalawarner to spread out her arms before me. I glared.

"Please move out of my way, Kalawarner."

Kalawarner shook her head. "Just wait one second, Shirou. You-" I tried running past her, but things happened so fast and then I was laying flat on my back on the floor, Kalawarner on top of me, pinning my arms down.

I just stared. This woman just shocked me more and more with each passing moment. "Get off! I have to save Asia!"

"Rushing in head-first will just get you killed, Shirou! You won't do me or her any good if you end up dying! So, if you don't want to die: SHUT UP, SIT DOWN, AND LISTEN TO WHAT I HAVE TO SAY!" Wow, she's forceful...that's kinda hot.

I knew that with the way we were positioned, I wasn't getting Kalawarner off of me without embarrassing situations ensuing. I reluctantly nodded, satisfying Kalawarner enough that she got off of me, allowing me to sit up, crossing my legs in front of me.

"Fine. I'm giving you ten minutes. If you haven't finished in that time, I'm going after Asia, even if I have to drag you with me in your attempts to stop me." I then looked away, feeling embarrassed. "Also, can you keep that 'pinning me down' thing to yourself? I have a reputation and stuff that..." My voice then faded into a quiet mumble.

Kalawarner nodded. She only spoke after three minutes of silence. "I'm going to help you."

I blinked. "Eh?" What did she just say? "C-Could you repeat that?"

Kalawarner smiled almost to herself. "I'm going to help you save Sister Asia."

It took me several minutes to process those words.

I crossed my arms into an 'X'. "No way!" Kalawarner's eyes widened.

"W-What?!"

"I'm grateful and all, but I cannot accept your help." I clenched my hand into a fist. "I have to save Asia on my own."

Kalawarner shook her head. "Typical male pride." She said it with apparent distaste.

"Wrong!" I shouted. "It's not about pride! I won't risk a friend even if it's to save another friend!" Kalawarner was taken by surprise by my response. "I'm possibly starting an international incident. Even if we succeed and save Asia, you'll still be dragged into whatever political and long-term consequences result from our actions. I won't do that." I'll admit it was somewhat because of my pride, but I really didn't want Kalawarner to get dragged into it.

She seemed somewhat touched by my stated reasoning. "There WON'T BE any consequences, Shirou."

.

.

.

.

.

What? But...huh?

Kalawarner must've understood my thoughts from the expression on my face. "Long story short: You don't have to worry. I can't explain further because we've wasted enough time already. If you want to save Asia, then I'm afraid we must make preparations immediately."

"Preparations?"

"Yes. I must speak with Rias Gremory and explain to her the situation. Maybe then she'll grant us some help. With you with me, she won't attack me on sight."

I scratched my head. "About that...I kindaaaaa...well...I'm pretty sure I've alienated everyone in Buchou's Peerage earlier. And, no. It's not fixable. I called Buchou a spoiled princess and literally told everyone that I hated them...I didn't think it through too well and I'm not sure whether or not this makes me a Stray. I'm pretty sure bringing someone whom they believe to be an enemy will not help my case."

Kalawarner's eye twitched. "So much for that idea." She rubbed her temples as she started to walk back and forth, clearly thinking.

"We could always try the direct and most violent approach." I offered. I cracked my knuckles, making it quite obvious what I was suggesting.

My Fallen Angel friend considered this. "We may have no choice. I want to stop Raynare and my comrades and you wish to save Asia. Our goals are overall one and the same. If we want this to work, we HAVE TO move out by tonight."

I sighed. "Damn. I hate to admit it, but I can't take on all three of your comrades along with those other Stray Exorcists on my own. And if there aren't any consequences, then I will accept your help. But if there's no clear plan, we just have to bust on through and carry out a blitz attack. Bust in, grab Asia, and get out."

"...Well..."

* * *

We looked at the church from afar under the cover of night. Cliche plan-start time.

After repeated unhelpfulness and badgering, I finally convinced Kalawarner to go through with the blitz attack. It was the only real option we had since we lacked resources and manpower.

She only agreed after explaining things that could give me an edge in battle.

Apparently this 'Azazel' guy was a big Sacred Gear nut (I learned the painful consequences of saying that to Kalawarner's face) and she picked up a few things about Sacred Gears and the extent of their abilities.

According to what she heard, Sacred Gears are powered by their user's desire. Stronger desire meant stronger power and the stronger their Sacred Gear responds. For someone with quite a few desires like me, that would come in handy.

She didn't learn as much about [Evil Pieces], but she at least knew about the types of pieces and their abilities. Like in the game of chess, I, being a [Pawn], possessed the ability of [Promotion]. I could promote to any piece except [King]. I could be fast like Kiba or strong like Koneko-chan. THAT would come in handy against that shitty priest, Freed, and Raynare.

Now we were just about to carry out our plan to rescue Asia. Kalawarner warned me about assassins who would try to stop us (it sounds totally awesome when it's said out loud), so it would be a hard fight with just the two of us there. Lucky for me, these stupid priests were pissed at God, so they performed some kind of evil ritual. Now it wasn't holy ground and I was all set...

But it made me even more pissed at God. I know that some of these guys were psychopaths like Freed, but I couldn't help but wonder how many of them were more innocent...like Asia...people who were rejected by God for various reasons.

….I admit it. I was a little biased because of Asia's sad story, but it WAS plausible that some of them were rejected for the same BS reasons...

I shook my head. They were helping the Fallen Angel who hurt Asia. I didn't plan on holding back.

I clenched my fists. "_Operation: Unholy Blitz _is about to commence."

Kalawarner stared at me, a 'sweatdrop expression' on her face. "'Unholy Blitz'?" I nodded.

"Yep yep. Considering we're part of two Factions considered to be unholy, I thought it was a good name."

"...Why exactly did you name it at all?"

I shrugged. "So are we gonna go or what?"

"We ARE going to discuss this more later, but for now: let's go." And with that, we start running through the forest surrounding the trees. The front path of the Church was too obvious and direct, so we were gonna go through the back way.

I felt like an effing ninja! Just sneakin through the trees and everything!

I was stuck on the ground while Kalawarner provided aerial cover. This was because the main difference between me and her was she knew how to use her wings while I didn't. I really should've learned how to use them from Buchou before...

Hm...maybe...maybe after this I would try apologizing. Neh. Princesses usually have a lot of pride. I'd be surprised if she didn't blast me on sight.

And so we both made our way to the church via the secret route.

I didn't ask Kalawarner what she meant earlier when she said there wouldn't be huge consequences mostly because I wanted to remain optimistic. I hoped everything would work out because I wanted to save Asia above all else.

With each minute that passed, we came closer and closer to the church.

I was absolute certain nothing could happen since we were so close-

"Shirou, look out!"

My instincts took over and I leaped backward to avoid two light spears that had been thrown at me.

Upon regaining my balance, I looked up at the highest branches of the two trees in front of me to see a familiar gothic lolita girl and trenchcoat guy. Fallen Angels.

"Well well~! If it isn't the knight in shining armor and-THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING, KALA-CHAN!?" She seemed incredibly shocked at the Fallen Angel who stood in the tree opposite of them. She then smirked. "I get it~! Luring the stupid Devil-kun to the slaughter~!"

Kalawarner shook her head, her expression solemn. "No, Mittelt. I'm going to stop Raynare and help Shirou save the Sister."

The trenchcoat guy adjusted his fedora. "What is the meaning of this, Kalawarner?"

Kalawarner shook her head. "I don't have time to explain, Dohnaseek. For now, I need you to trust me and get out of our way."

There was a long and tense silence where I argued with myself about what to do next.

Mittelt's sadistically cheerful expression suddenly became serious. It betrayed a strange feeling. Like a person who had seen many things over many years.

"You truly plan to go against the group for a man? Do you not remember what happened the last time? I 'fell' only shortly after you, Kalawarner. I-"

"This and that are two different things!" From the angry expression on her face, I could tell that Mittelt had touched a nerve. Something personal from Kalawarner's past.

"How? I don't know how long you have been with him, but the moment you're finished helping, he'll drop you just like-"

"Don't you DARE speak his name!" And now Kalawarner was certainly pissed.

The formerly sadistic-faced gothic lolita seemed actually somewhat guilty.

She was cruel towards others, but she apparently cared for her comrades...huh.

Then I remembered a story Kalawarner had told me so long ago.

She ended up being rejected by her family after giving her virginity to a man and...oh shit...replace 'family' with 'Angels' and the story takes on a whole new meaning when you think about it...that's heavy. That's a heavy thing to remember right now.

All this time, Kalawarner had been carrying around something so heavy...wow...

Dohnaseek shook his head. "I will ask what your reasoning is later, but we cannot allow this Devil to interfere." Mittelt agreed with the trenchcoat-wearing bastard as they both materialized a light spear in one hand.

I prepared to summon my Sacred Gear as they flew at me...

Then two other light spears met their attack...well...maybe 'swords' would've been a better word.

Kalawarner stood in front of me, guarding the other two's light spear attacks.

Both Dohnaseek and Mittelt seemed surprised at this and fled backwards.

"Since when can you wield TWO light weapons?! And swords at that!" Mittelt asked, returning to her previous obnoxious tone.

Kalawarner smirked. "I train and don't spend all of my time accessorizing and trying to look good unlike you, Mittelt."

The gothic lolita's face lit up pink for a minute. "S-Shut up! You only think you l-look better because of those outrageous jugs of yours!" She subconsciously squeezed her admittedly smaller bust, a very sad expression on her face.

Ah. Someone has issues.

Rather than think about that, I took that moment of distraction to immediately rush past the two opposing Fallen Angels. They were taken by surprise as I already made it past them. They tried to attack me again, but Kalawarner once again stood between them and me.

"Like I said. I have to stop Raynare." She then looked back to me and nodded. "Go. I'll hold them off and leave rescuing your friend to you."

Even though we were only friends as of recently, Kalawarner was willing to hold off her own comrades to help me...

I quickly reached into my pockets and threw something to Kalawarner. She let go of one light sword and caught it in her hand.

It was a tiny, red, stuffed chibi-Devil toy on a keychain.

"His name is Devi-chan." I said, slightly embarrassed. "He's a good luck charm my onee-sama, Makoto, made for me when I was little." I felt my face heating up as Kalawarner stared at me. "He's very important to me and...So if I give him to you, I have a reason to come back for you. I won't leave you behind." I then straightened my expression. "I promise I'll come back, Kalawarner! Count on it! As soon as I beat Raynare into the dirt, I'll come back to help!"

Kalawarner's surprise faded into a warm expression. She lengthened her light sword into a light spear and threw it at her two former comrades, causing them to scatter momentarily.

"I'll protect it with everything I have." Her expression then turned serious. "I also have a request: Please don't kill Raynare. She can be cruel, but she's just misguided right now." She would've continued if she hadn't gone to deal with the other two who had quickly recovered. "Now go!"

I gave a final nod before continuing onward to the church.

Kalawarner, I won't leave you behind. I won't forget. I'll save you too, Asia! This time I won't fail!

I'll protect everyone!

**On that note, I am done! I honestly planned on finishing this arc this chapter, but stuff really started to run-on. So take this to mean that I technically have the better half of the next chapter done...so yeah. I'm almost done with that~!**

**Thanks for the reads and reviews~!**

**Bye-Bye~!**


	8. Chapter 7: Loneliness Part 2

**And here is the final installment of the first story arc...hopefully. On with the story~!**

**Disclaimer:I own NOTHING!**

**Chapter 7:**

**Loneliness**

**Part 2**

I had circled around the church and kicked open the doors.

I didn't have time for cautionary bullshit.

After that confrontation with the other two, others, Raynare included, no doubt have been alerted to my presence.

The inside looked like any other church (or what I assume to be normal. Mako-nee never really took me to church). There was an altar and long chairs. The candle lights and the interior lamps lit the sanctuary.

The only thing that made it clear this was not a God-friendly place was a statue of a person on a cross that had its head destroyed.

I could really tell I had entered enemy territory. I was about to take a step forward to find the entrance to where Asia was being held when I paused. I felt a familiar, disgusting presence.

"You might as well come on out now, you shitty priest!" I called out. "I know you're there, so there's no point hiding!"

The sound of clapping broke the tense silence.

It echoed throughout the empty sanctuary. I'd say 'speak of the Devil', but that would be an insult to Devils everywhere.

The shitty priest, Freed, stepped out from behind a pillar.

"Well if it isn't the shitty Devil who cost me my best coat! I never met the same Devil twice before! You know, since I'm super strong, I cut Devils into pieces when I first meet them! Once I see them, I cut them up on the spot! I then kiss the corpse and say goodbye! That's how I used to live! But since you guys ruined my style, I'm so lost! That's no good~. It's not good to interfere with my lifestyle~! That's why~! You guys piss me off! I hope you guys will die! Actually die! You trashy Deeeeeeeeeeeevils!"

I stared. "I...I'm not quite sure how to respond to that." I mean seriously...what the fuck is wrong with this sick bastard? He goes through emotions like a...No. No no. I would get a lot of shit about that. "So...I'm just gonna kick your ass and go save Asia, OK?"

The shitty priest wagged his finger at me. "No no, Devil~! You came to rescue Asia-tan, right? Hahaha! Devil-samas are big hearted for coming to rescue a bitch like that who would even heal Devils! Well, just being entranced to a Devil should make that Sister die! However, you came a bit early, so please come back later to be killed after we're finished preparing her to die."

D-Die?! What does that mean?!

"You shitty priest! Tell me where Asia is!"

"Well, there is a hidden stairs under that altar. From there you can go to the place where they are doing the ritual." He pointed out the location of a hidden basement by pointing out the altar.

I blinked. "Whoa...I...I'm gonna be honest, I didn't think you'd tell me so easily."

The shitty priest shrugged. "Well it means nothing if I cut you up into little Devil pieces~!" He then pulled out the same sword and gun he used the last time we fought.

He was a cocky bastard.

I raised my left arm. "I'm gonna kick your ass with-SACRED GEAR!" My arm was once again covered in my cloth-like Sacred Gear. "This won't end like last time!"

Oh dear Maou, I used a cliché. DAMN YOU, FREED! DAMN YOU TO HELL!

The shitty priest swung his light sword at me, but I wasted no time using [Reinforcement] on my Sacred Gear arm and blocking the hit. After my previous uses of my Sacred Gear, I learned how to control the amount of power I pour into my reinforcing abilities. Now it doesn't put as much of a strain on my energy.

Freed tried to bring his gun around, but I grabbed his arm with my free hand to keep him from firing.

With both of his hands occupied, I had thought the shitty priest and I to be in a stalemate...until he kicked me in the stomach with one of his legs.

I felt all of the wind leave my body from the force of the impact. I barely had enough time to lean back limbo-style as Freed followed up with a slash of his blade, just barely missing my upper body. I fell to the ground immediately when I heard the priest's finger squeeze the trigger of his gun in order to avoid the light bullet. I rolled backward and jumped to my feet once again, using my reinforced Sacred Gear arm to block the priest's follow-up slash.

Hooray for reflexes!

I knocked him backwards and swung my fist at the shitty priest only for him to duck and sneak under me, grazing my left leg with his sword.

Damn, that hurt!

I felt another kick to my back as I was sent sprawling forward onto the ground. I rolled sideways as the shitty priest stabbed the ground where I had been laying as I got to my feet.

"Roundhouse kick-!" I swung my leg around at Freed who raised his light sword to block and possibly cut off my leg. "-Feint!" I retracted my leg and threw a punch forward at the shitty priest who still managed to block with his sword.

Freed brough up his gun again and I was too slow to react as he shot me, this time successfully.

I groaned as I felt the familiar sensation of a light bullet piercing my right shoulder.

Then another kick to the stomach.

Then I was flat on the ground again.

Damn.

"Nice try, shitty Devil~!" The shitty priest sang cheerfully. "I already know the ability of your Sacred Gear~! You're too weak to make anything but that precious arm of yours stronger~!"

I got up and glared at the shitty priest. The worst part was that he was kind of right. I couldn't just telepathically use [Reinforcement] on something. I had to be touching it with my hand or it had to be connected to my hand. I'm also not sure to what extent I could reinforce something or what effects it would have in the long run. So I couldn't reinforce anything but my arm.

"That doesn't mean I'm gonna lose to you, you shitty priest!" I charged at him and we once again continued trading blows with our respective weapons. My reflexes were slowed by the wound I had been dealt before and I was using more power to keep up. I had to be careful not to overuse my [Reinforcement] as to keep from exhausting myself immediately.

"I'll end this with a PUUUUUUUUUNCH!" I threw my reinforced Sacred Gear fist as Freed's smug face. I didn't feel much resistance and realized my mistake of believing him to be downed when I saw the shitty priest crouching, ready to strike. I was too slow.

I was able to avoid having my guts emptied onto the ground, but I felt the blade cut a relatively shallow cut into my stomach, causing me to hunch over in pain.

FUUUUUUCK! IT BURNS!

It was much worse than that slash he left on my side that one time.

This went deeper, but I don't think it hit anything vital.

I couldn't help but scream a little from the pain. The shitty priest then delivered a more torturous blow right to the wound, causing more blood to gush out and more pain to flare up on my body.

I flew backwards, just barely managing to keep from falling over. I was fully knocked over when the shitty priest smacked me right in the face with his goddamned gun.

I sat up, rubbing my aching face when I saw the shitty priest in front of me, his sword raised to strike.

"Well isn't this deja vu, shitty Devil?" Freed mocked me. "The only difference is that, this time, nobody's coming to save you! I get to cut you up into pretty ribbons for girls to wear in their hair~!" He then shook his head. "I will admit, it's been a little fun crushing your hopes and dreams just now, so I'll give you some last words~!"

Last words, huh?

Even though he was a sadistic psychopath, I could tell he was being honest about that.

He's going to let me speak some final words before cutting off my head and mounting it on his wall along with the others as he-Wow that was getting dark. I'm pretty sure that I have some serious issues now.

I sighed.

What should my last words be?...Well...I should apologize to Kalawarner for dragging her into this mess, but I know better than to think that this shitty priest would actually bring them to her even should she not be punished for helping me...I'm not sure what I'd say to Mako-nee right now. I wonder if she'd be disappointed in me for dying so easily...Well, maybe to...No. I don't even deserve to say _her_ name. I broke my promise to get stronger for her...

That fact hurt more than anything else.

I broke the promise to the girl I loved and even after that I can't say I've lived a painless life...

Then I remembered why I was alone in the first place.

That's right...I was a huge ass. Even if Buchou was spoiled in any way at all, I owe her so much for bringing me back to life and granting me the chance to fulfill my wish. Kiba, Koneko-chan, and Akeno-san didn't even need to be involved at all...I threw a fit because I was angry with myself. So I guess...

"Kiba...Akeno-san...Koneko-chan...and Buchou...I'm sorry for being such a jerk..."

"How nice~!" The shitty priest mocked. "Now die, shitty Devil!" He swung his sword down and I braced myself, certain I was as good as dead...

But I wasn't.

I was shocked to hear the sound of something clanging against Freed's blade.

I looked up to see a medieval-looking sword keeping the priest's blade from lopping off my head.

What was more shocking was the person holding the sword.

"K-Kiba!?"

The blonde-haired [Knight] of Rias Gremory smiled calmly at me. "Apology accepted."

I felt horribly embarrassed at that moment. The whole point of having last words was thinking that you'd be dead before seeing anyone's reaction to them.

"...I will accept sweets..." I turned, even more shocked, to see Koneko-chan standing right next to me.

"K-K-Koneko-chan!? You too?!"

The loli nodded at me.

"Well well~! Isn't this a treat for me~?" The shitty priest said cheerfully as he moved away from us. "I get to kill three shitty Devils for the price of one~!"

I was about to think up a response to that when Koneko walked calmly to my right and picked up a pew that was seven times her size.

"...Get smashed." She then threw it at the shitty priest with ease.

Note to self: Do not mess with Koneko-chan.

Note to self: I mean it. DO NOT mess with Koneko-chan.

Note to self: DO NOT forget Koneko-chan's sweets after this.

"Wow! Oh yeah!" The shitty priest did a small dance and cut the chair in half with his blade of light.

….Have I mentioned that this guy creeps me the fuck out?

"There." I looked up again to see that Kiba had completely vanished. Him and his [Knight] speed had vanished completely from sight.

When I next saw him, his blade was creating sparks with Freed's.

I stared. The way they fought...they made it seem so easy. I suddenly felt so pathetic.

I lasted a while, but I've lost to this clown and Raynare two times each.

"Hmmm! Hmmm! Such a pain! Why are you guys so noisy!?" The shitty priest asked as he raised his gun to fire. "I'm super very bad! I'm sorry for talking in a death language! Forgive me after you die!"

Kiba easily dodged all of the shots with his superior [Knight] speed. Even while dodging, he was still able to continue attacking the shitty priest.

I don't know who was more impressive: Kiba, who was moving so fast, or the shitty priest, who was able to keep up with him.

They continued exchanging strikes with one another. While I could barely keep up with Kiba's movements with my eyes, the shitty priest had a very easy time of it.

No wonder I couldn't take him on all by myself. I was really going to have to step up my game if I want to fight on equal footing with these guys.

They both glared at one another, still exchanging blows with one another.

"Impressive. You are quite strong." Kiba said

"Ahaha! You too! A [Knight], huh!? Not even a single blind spot! This is great! Yes yes, this is what I'm talking about. Lately, I haven't had an awesome battle like this! I was about to cry because of it! Hmmm! Hmmm! I'm going to kill you!"

"Then maybe I should also fight seriously for a bit then."

My eyes widened.

He...He had been holding back this whole time?!

Then, in a low and unbelievably intense voice, Kiba spoke. "Eat this." I had to admit he kinda seemed like a total badass. I'd give him that.

I then noticed that Kiba's sword had changed. I could tell because it looked completely different than before. The blade was completely black.

Then I realized it wasn't just the blade itself that was black, but rather, there was some kind of black aura coming out of the sword. Some kind of darkness that spread and expanded onto Freed's blade, slowly devouring it.

The shitty priest seemed both shocked and confused. "Wha-! What the hell is this!?"

"—[Holy-Eraser], a darkness sword that devours light."

My eyes widened.

Kiba was also a Sacred Gear possessor?!

I had to admit it. While my "Archer's-arm-wrapped-in-the-Shroud-of-Martin" Sacred Gear was pretty badass, I had to admit that 'darkness sword' was pretty cool.

The Priest's blade of light was completely devoured by Kiba's sword. Freed's light sword couldn't maintain its own shape after being devoured by Kiba's darkness sword.

This is my chance! There's no way I'm just gonna sit back and do nothing!

I had been too mesmerized by the fight to act earlier.

I quickly got to my feet and started to move. "Let's go!"

[REINFORCE!]

My arm was coated in a familiar aura as I charged towards the shitty priest. I was going to shut his mouth once and for all.

He quickly took notice of me. "I keep on telling you! You are so annoying!" He pointed his gun at me and fired several noiseless shots at me. With my regular speed, there was no way I could dodge the shots.

Then I remembered something important.

Time to see if this works!

"Promotion, [Knight]!" I was shocked when I looked ahead. The bullets that were flying towards me seemed to slow down. Enough that I could completely follow the shots with my eyes and react accordingly. I bobbed and weaved through each and every shot, barely managing to dodge them with my enhanced speed.

The shitty priest was surprised by my sudden increase in speed. "Promotion!? A [Pawn]!?"

"That's right, you shitty priest! I'm the [Pawn] who's going to kick your ass!" I declared to the world. "I now have the traits of a [Knight]! So when you combine my natural strength with my enhanced speed, you get-" I felt my left fist once again slam right into the shitty priest's face. "-one ass-kicking!" It had been much stronger than it would've initially have been because, right before I hit him, I immediately stopped my running and transferred all of my momentum into my fist.

I knocked that shitty priest flat on his ass. "And that's that!" The shitty priest slowly got up and spat blood from his mouth. His right cheek was satisfyingly swollen. I was somewhat disappointed that I didn't break his jaw. Even though I was a [Knight], my speed was nowhere near as great as Kiba's. It was a bit of luck mixed with my enhanced speed that I hadn't gotten hit by a light bullet.

Then I looked more closely and saw that the only thing that was broken was the hilt of his sword.

I realized what had happened. Shortly before my fist made impact, the shitty priest must have used his sword to protect against the brunt of the attack. I would've actually broken something if he hadn't blocked at the last second.

That made me feel much better. "So what was that about me getting cut into ribbons, you shitty priest?"

"Don't fuck with me! You shiiiiiit! A mere Devil shouldn't act cocky with meeeeee! I'll kill you! Definitely! I'll definitely kill you! I'm going to cut you into pieces, you shiiiiit!"

The fact that I had pissed him off so badly made my even happier.

He drew out another light sword. Apparently he had his own little stash somewhere on hid person.

However, this time he was outnumbered three-to-one. There was no way he was going to walk out of this the victor.

The shitty priest seemed to notice how the tables have turned and smirked to himself.

"Wow, wow. Is this what you call a crisis? Hmm, for me, getting killed by a Devil is a no-no, so I feel like retreating. It's a shame that I can't exorcise you guys, but I also don't want to die!"

I was too late to react as he took out a strange round thing and smashed it onto the ground, releasing an incredibly blinding light and a smokescreen.

When I finally regained my vision, the shitty priest had completely vanished. I tried looking around, but the damn shitty priest was nowhere to be seen...Unfortunately, I could still hear his voice.

"Hey. The grunt Devil over there…Shirou-kun, was it? To tell you the truth, I have fallen in love with you. So I will definitely kill you. Definitely, okay? I won't forgive a shitty Devil who punched me and backtalked me. Then, bye-bye."

I could sense him leave...that shitty priest had escaped.

"Well...that happened." Now that the excitement caused by the fight had begun to fade away, I then remembered Kiba and Koneko-chan's unexpected appearance. "Oh...shit. J-Just why are you guys here exactly?...Are you...Are you here to eliminate me or something?"

The two exchanged somewhat confused glances before turning back to me, shaking their heads.

"...No."

Kiba spoke calmly. "Buchou was very worried about you."

I sighed. "Yeah. I know losing an [Evil Piece] would be a huge blow to her. I, her pet dog, went against her orders and went off my leash."

More confused glances and that was when I was certain I was lost.

"Shirou..." He sounded surprised and almost a little unhappy about something. "Buchou was worried about YOU." He emphasized the word 'you', perhaps understanding my thoughts about Buchou. "She sent both Koneko and I ahead to come find you. She was really worried when she found your blood in the park. She sent us here because...well..."

"...It was obvious." Koneko-chan filled in.

They were right. It was horribly obvious that I would eventually come here considering my personality. THAT and they may have sensed the battles taking place near the church.

Wait...

"Buchou sent you here...to find me?"

But...she said that such a thing...would cause trouble...It would be easy to let me be called a Stray and eliminated. There would be less trouble either way...so why did she...? I mean-

"OW!" I yelped.

Koneko-chan was giving me an annoyed look as she pinched me. "...she sent us here because she was afraid...she didn't want you to die." She then removed her hand from me. "...There...Like a band-aid."

I then realized I had been standing there, trying to piece together my thoughts in my head for several minutes. It must've been annoying to watch.

Kiba nodded in agreement with what Koneko-chan had said. "Whatever idea you have in your mind about Buchou, you're wrong. She's not a 'spoiled princess' as you've put it."

I cringed. "Yeah...I'm sorry about that." That made my guilt felt even WORSE. Even after I had said such harsh things to her, Buchou had sent Kiba and Koneko-chan to help me.

...was she really worried about me? Had I been wrong about her? God (OUCH!), I really owe Buchou an apology, don't I?

I sighed. "I'll apologize to Buchou later, but I have to go save Asia right now. If you want to stop me, have fun being dragged across the ground as you cling to my legs, trying to bring me by force."

Kiba and Koneko-chan both exchanged another look before turning back to me.

Seriously, do they have some kind of telepathy or something or are they just trying to piss me off?

Kiba smiled. "Well, we shouldn't keep Asia-chan waiting, should we?" Eh?

"...Let's go." Koneko-chan agreed.

Realization slowly sank in.

"You...you guys are really going to help me?" I was so shocked that, even after I was such an ass, they were willing to go so far.

They both nodded.

I turned my gaze toward the ground, trying to hide my expression. "Y-You two...I just wanted to say that I-"

"Already accepted, remember?" Kiba asked.

I puffed up my cheeks slightly, embarrassed. "Y-Yeah...but thanks, you two."

I then took off my student jacket (that I was still somehow wearing) and tied it around the wound around my stomach, effectively binding it enough that I wouldn't have to worry. I then turned to the secret entrance leading underground.

"So let's go."

* * *

We made our way down the staircase under the altar.

They apparently had a good electrician because lights lined the halls and somehow still worked.

And then after that was an incredibly long hall filled with doors. I guess it could be considered a basement.

Koneko-chan pointed to the far end. "Possibly at the end of this passage… I can smell that person…"

My spirit felt an immediate boost at those words. I didn't wait.

I ran.

I knew there was no doubt going to be Stray Exorcists there, but so was Asia.

I'm going to save Asia no matter what!

I ran straight to the door and kicked it open. "ASIA!" I called out. I looked around and realized I was in some sort of ritual room. They looked like they were in the middle of putting something together and the room full of priests was completely surprised by my appearance.

At the end of the hallway, a familiar bitch scoweled at me. "I knew I smelled something filthy."

Hi to you, too, Raynare.

"Or maybe I should say welcome." Her tone changed to her usual one of arrogance. "I have to admit that you are a bit earlier than I would've expected. Actually, I had thought that Freed would've easily killed a worthless Devil like you." She shook her head. "I had this whole bit planned about showing you Asia-chan's dead body after the ritual had been completed. If you're lucky, I'll let you live and watch."

"Go to Hell!" I scanned around the room and saw Asia, staring at me in shock, standing next to some strange cross with some form of restraints on them. I didn't know what it was, but it gave me a bad feeling. Especially considering Raynare said that she would show me Asia's DEAD body. "I'm going to save my friend, no matter what! That's what I promised!"

Asia stared at me, her eyes beginning to fill with tears. "Shirou-san..."

"What a touching reunion~" Raynare mocked (really. What's with everyone and the mocking today?). "But I'm afraid that ends now. Kill him! Don't let him interfere with the preparations!" She ordered the Stray Exorcists into action.

"GET'EM!"

"KILL THE DAMN DEVIL!"

"CUT HIM TO SHREDS!"

I felt a vein pop out on my forehead. "All of you-" I pulled back my reinforced fist. "-GET OUT OF MY WAY!" With a single punch, I sent at least seven of the bastards flying.

"Don't stop!" Another priest shouted. "We outnumber him! He can't take all of us!"

Several groups leaped at me at once. I knocked many of them out of the way with numerous punches, but their sheer numbers gradually overwhelmed me and I was eventually restrained by the priests.

"Shirou-san!" I looked back over to Asia and saw her being grabbed by a few of the other priests, no doubt to continue whatever ritual they were doing. She was struggling with everything she had, but she stood no chance.

I struggled and managed to free one of my arms before continuing to punch more of the priests away from me. I was help when one of them was grabbed from behind and thrown a fair distance away from me. Others were cut up by a familiar blade of darkness and were forced to release me.

Koneko-chan and Kiba to the rescue again.

Another priest tried attacking Koneko-chan, but she easily knocked him away. "...Don't touch me."

I couldn't help but notice how Kiba's eyes sharpened as his entire being was surrounded by a thick aura of killing intent. "Looks like I will have to go full throttle from the beginning. I hate Priests. If there are this many, then I won't hold back to devour your light."

I felt that something about that was personal, but I let it go for the moment. It was natural for a Devil to hate the guys who live to kill Devils without mercy even if it's not always justified.

I continued beating the shit out of any of the priests that came my way. There were too many though. They would be finished with whatever ritual they were preparing before I reached Asia.

I delivered a kick to the stomach of another approaching priest. I clenched my fist.

No. I WILL save Asia!

I then charged the amount of [Reinforcement] in my left fist to the max. "GAAAAAH! I'M COMING ASIAAAAAA!" I then started running. I didn't care how many times I was shot at are stabbed at, I was only focused on making it to the imprisoned Sister. I didn't recall what happened to any priest who crossed my path, but I remember hearing the sound of something breaking...SEVERAL somethings.

"Shirou-san..." And then I was right in front of Asia, having just knocked the guys trying to take her into possible comas. "...you're here..." She sounded happy, shocked, guilty, and relieved at the same time.

Now that I was back in my right mind, I grinned. "Well the badass knight in shining armor DOES always show up at the last minute." More of the priests were surrounding me by that point, showing more caution due to my immense strength enhanced by my [Reinforcement]. "But that's a conversation for another time." However, I couldn't keep it up for much longer. My unbelievable overuse of my power put a severe drain on my energy. I had to find a way to milk it until I got Asia out of there.

That was when the approaching priests were either cut up or pummeled.

Kiba and Koneko-chan appeared by my side.

"You won't get away!" Raynare stated to us. "I will have Asia's Sacred Gear! With that supreme power, I will become the supreme Fallen Angel! I will be loved by the one whom I want and I will be feared by those I hate! I can pay back all of those bastards who looked down on me!"

I sighed, shaking me head. "Love, pride, revenge..." I admit that at one point or another, I've felt similar feelings and desires. "Such feelings twisted inside the soul of a sad little girl like you."

Raynare shot my a furious glare. "I don't need such words from a pathetic Devil like you!"

"I truly pity you." It was only now that I've heard her reasoning that I understand her. The fear that remained in my body since our first encounter gradually faded away. It was like I was finally peeling away the scary-looking mask to reveal the sad and pathetic existence underneath. My body felt more relaxed than it did before.

The killing intent radiating from Raynare was almost suffocating. "I said to shut your damned mouth!" She materialized a light spear in her hand. I stepped in front of Asia to protect her shortly before Koneko-chan and Kiba stepped in front of me.

"Fujimura-kun, we're at a disadvantage right now while we're protecting that girl! You have to take her and head upstairs! We'll cut a clear path for you!" He knocked away another priest with his sword. "Now go!"

I stared at Kiba and then Koneko-chan who simply nodded. There was a strange feeling in my chest...

How far they were going to help me save Asia...I felt...happy?

But there was no time for that. I quickly scooped a surprised Asia up, bridal-style. "Shall we take our leave, my lady?" And then I started running again. It seemed it was just about the only thing I was good for at the moment. Some of the light weapon-wielding priests got close, but they were quickly dispatched by Kiba and Koneko-chan who were doing their best to protect me as I escaped with Asia.

"Kiba...Koneko-chan...thank you."

* * *

I made my way up the stairs, still holding tightly onto Asia in a protective way. I had to be sure no one behind us could get a shot at her. I would shield her with my very body to protect her.

I had to deactivate my Sacred Gear a while back because the energy consumption was seriously beginning to wear me down. I still had a lot in me, but I wanted to conserve it for later.

When we finally got to the ground floor, I was panting. It took a lot more energy running up the stairs than it did walking down the stairs. I was admittedly exhausted.

"...I'm sorry, Shirou-san..." I looked at Asia and noticed she had such a sad expression on her face. "You got hurt because of me..."

I then realized that my previous shoulder wound still had blood oozing out of it. It was clearly in Asia's sight and I felt so stupid for not thinking about it earlier.

I sighed softly. "It's just a scratch. Don't worry about it." I tried grinning again. "After all, we're friends, remember?" I carefully set her down so I could rest for just a second. "Soon you'll be free, Asia. We'll be able to go do fun stuff like we said! We'll both learn about traditional culture and stuff!" I was never taught much about tradition. Not from Mako-nee. I just did things whenever and wherever.

Asia smiled just a little bit. "Thank you, Shirou-san...I admit that when you came to save me...I was so happy. But I was also mad at the same time."

Eh?...D-Did I do something wrong?

"It was strange. I left with Raynare-s-No. Just Raynare. I left because I wanted to protect Shirou-san. When you risked yourself to come save me, I was mad because I had wanted you to live." Tears started welling up in her eyes. "I wanted to protect my one friend..." She started to sniffle a little. "But then I realized that you felt the same way...so I was happy. I was happy my friend wanted to save me."

I felt myself blushing a little. "B-Baka! N-Now's not the time for such words!" I turned away. "C-Come on! I don't know how much time Koneko-chan and Kiba can buy us!"

"How touching~! So touching I want to throw up." I quickly turned to see a familiar crow walking towards us from the hidden staircase under the altar. I once again stood ready, summoning my Sacred Gear. I noticed a large cut on her arm. No doubt Kiba's work. I made a mental note to thank him for that later.

"Don't you have a bag of puppies you have to go drown somewhere?" I asked Raynare, a little pissed.

Raynare smirked. "I'll be on my merry way after I kill you and Asia and take her [Twilight Healing]. To Fallen Angels, who lost the protection of God, that child's Sacred Gear is a wonderful present."

I couldn't help but wonder what happened to the others. I assured myself that they were simply distracted with the other priests...but Raynare WAS a powerful Fallen Angel. I wondered if they would be able to hold their own against her.

I pushed those thoughts to the back of my mind. I had to protect Asia.

"My status will rise since I will be a Fallen Angel that can heal Fallen Angels. I could be of help to the great Azazel-sama and Shemhaza-sama!" There was that name again.

Azazel. The apparent 'big leader guy' of the Fallen Angels. What kind of sadistic bastard is he that he would put something as kind as Asia through such a thing?That was the question I thought to myself. I had no idea who Shem-whatever was, but I didn't care.

"I really don't give a shit who you think of when you're getting off." I said bluntly. "All this stuff about Devils, Fallen Angels, and Angels. I really don't care. None of these things have to do with Asia. So why can't you just leave her alone?!"

Raynare smirked, pointing at Asia who flinched. "Oh, but you're so very wrong. Like you, she was chosen to possess a Sacred Gear. Neither of you could ever have lived normal lives upon awakening to your Sacred Gears. Those with irregular or powerful irregular Sacred Gears are deemed outcasts because of their power. Because they possess a powerful ability. Because they have a different power than others. You know humans hate those things, right? People hate those who are strong yet different."

I don't know why...but...No. I know why that hurt so bad. Because she was right.

"I won't deny that...even a kinder power like Asia's is rejected by this retched world." I closed my eyes. "I am no different. 'Monster'. That is what I've been called for as long as can remember. Because of my irregular human strength and my 'lust for violence', I was hated and rejected by this world. But I continued forward despite that. This is because I can't give up. Because I made a promise to a person who is precious to me. I promised to get stronger. Strong enough to surpass the combined might of Heaven and Hell. How can I hope to accomplish that goal if I can't save a single friend? Despite all of the pain the world inflicts upon me, I'll keep moving forward!" I pointed towards the sky. "I'll become stronger than the cruel God above! The one who abandoned a kind and innocent soul like Asia! The one who cursed certain people to lives of absolute solitude and loneliness! That's why I won't let you lay a hand on Asia! She's my friend!"

Asia stared at me with her sad eyes. "...Shirou-san..."

Raynare shook her head. "You understand nothing, worthless Devil." She materialized a light spear in one hand. Then she threw it...but not at me. I reacted the best I could.

I leaped in front of Asia, raising my arm to defend against the light spear that was thrown at her.

Even by reinforcing the arm I used to block the light spear, it still stabbed halfway through, almost piercing all the way and just barely missing my chest and possibly my heart.

I can say without a doubt that whatever burning or pain I felt from light sword and bullets was nothing compared to that of a light spear.

I screamed from the agonizing pain caused by the light spear halfway through my arm. It felt like it was literally burning my arm from the inside out. Of course the sadistic crow laughed at my pain.

"A Devil trying to pull that spear out is foolish! To Devils, lights are intense poison. Just touching it will make you burn. That is the ultimate pain that Devils can taste! For a Low-class Devil like you, it's-"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" With my hand clothed in my Sacred Gear, I grasped the light spear firmly, screaming in further pain as my hand began to release steam. "I won't give up!...Even if the whole world's against me...I WON'T EVER GIVE UP!" With a final scream, I yanked the light spear straight out of my arm. As I held the light spear in my still-burning hand, I reinforced my hand before crushing the spear into dust.

Raynare stared, eyes wide. "No. Th-That's impossible!" She sounded boths shocked and rather afraid. "Just what the Hell are you?! You survived three light spears to vital organs at once and you actually managed to pull one out from your body! It's not possible for such a Low-class Devil! You should be paralyzed in pain and dying!" She was right about one thing. I was in immense pain. Spreading from my arm and outward, it felt like my insides were melting. I would probably die if I didn't get healed soon.

I shot her a rage-filled look. "This pain...It's nothing compared to what Asia went through!" I then looked at Asia with a guilty expression. "'I don't know her'.'It's not my problem'. 'It's none of my business'...this is what I thought when I first noticed your pain...I should have done something then. None of this would have happened...I'm sorry, Asia." I clenched my fist before turning back to Raynare. "Let me atone by kicking this crow's ass!"

Raynare materialized another light spear. "SHUT UP AND DIE!" She threw it at me and I cursed mentally. There was no way I could block it with my arm again. Having no other choice, I grabbed Asia behind me and dodged to the side, me shielding her from any attack that might've come.

I hurriedly dragged Asia to her feet and gently pushed her away. "Asia, I want you to run."

Raynare summoned yet another light spear. "There's no point. There's nowhere she can hide that I can't find her. You might as well stand still, die, and then let me finish my business with Asia."

Damn it! Why?! WHY CAN'T I HAVE MORE POWER!?

Then I remembered what Kalawarner had told me before.

-Desire.

That's what Sacred Gears respond to.

Alright then, Sacred Gear! I don't give a fuck what your name is! Just give me more power! Give me the power to protect Asia!

I sighed. "Alright then. So when I want something to happen, I'd pray to God, right? Well for a Devil like me, I'd think that's impossible if he'd even neglect Asia's pure soul. He is a useless God after all."

Raynare remained on edge, uncertain where I was going with this.

"But there is one guy who Devils worship, right? Alright then! Hey, Maou-sama, Satan! I know you can hear me wherever you are so listen up! I already gave up my soul as a human and exist as one of your Devils. If you can hear me, please grant my wish."

Asia and Raynare stared, both sweatdropped slightly.

"''I-Is he talking to himself?''"

I grinned for all the world to see. "If the useless God won't listen to me, then the equally powerful Maou-sama will! Alright, Satan, if you can hear me, let me get stronger! Let me smash this damn crow into the dirt! Just let me punch her once! I'll end it with a single punch!"

Raynare laughed. "You seem to be under the impression that you're going to live long enough to hear his response." In a flash, I felt the pain of another light spear pierce my right leg. I almost fell down, but I managed to keep my balance. I wasn't going to die on my ass.

The best I could do by that point was hold off the wicked crow long enough for Asia to get away.

I once again pulled out the light spear as Raynare threw another. This time my other leg. She was like a child pulling the wings off a butterfly shortly before squishing it.

"Asia...I want you to run..."

She stared at me in horror. "Shirou-san-!"

"It's not up for debate! If you die, then all of this would've been for nothing! Go! Find Rias Gremory, tell her I sent you, and ask for protection!" I was still uncertain about Kiba's claim about Buchou's good nature, but I figured this was the best chance to test it out. If Buchou was truly a kind-hearted girl, then her reasoning for not letting me rescue Asia must've been sound and she would protect her.

Asia looked like she was split on the issue. Part of her wanted to do as I said while the other part wanted to stay by my side...

"I..."

"If I can't have that girl's power, then NO ONE CAN!" Raynare threw another spear, once again directed at Asia.

No! Dammit! I won't let you! Move out of the way Asia!

I managed to get in front of her, but there was no time to do anything else.

I could move out of the way, but then Asia would be killed. If I stayed where I was, I was dead for sure and Raynare would move on to killing Asia shortly afterwards. It was a total lose-lose situation.

Damn it...God, Satan, I don't give a fuck! Whoever! I don't care what the price is! Just let me save this one person! Take my life as an offering if you must! PLEASE!

"DIE, YOU DAMN DEVIL!"

Everything slowed down and, for a brief moment, dark.

[I am impressed. Even though you've only just awakened to your power, you can hear my voice.]

Impressing you isn't exactly at the top of my list of pri-Dear Maou, is this my life flashing before my eyes? Am I getting some sort of commentary?...Is there going to be some kind of slideshow?

[No. I am the Welsh-Dragon, Ddraig. I am the one who exists in your left arm.]

What? You can hear my thoughts?!

[Yes. I can hear you just as you can hear me. What's more interesting is your spirit...with you as its wielder, this Sacred Gear that I am within has taken new form.]

Huh? You mean that...OK, I don't get it.

[This power that you've transformed my vessel into...it was shaped by your own will.]

This Sacred Gear of mine...this is...like some form of evolution?

[Yes. Even though the shape of it has changed, my presence sealed within has not. Because of this, I am well-aware of how it works.]

Well that makes one of us.

[Indeed. I admit you hold great potential, but you've yet to unlock this new Sacred Gear's true power.]

….Great. I'm minutes away from dying and I learn that I can't even use a damn tool right. Perfect!

[We will discuss this more later, but for now...I shall give you a small push in the right direction.]

And then all of my senses returned to me.

"JUST WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU!?" Raynare's screaming voice drew my attention to the fact that I was holding something.

It was a medieval-style sword that I held in front of me, having just cut apart the light spear that Raynare had thrown at me.

A-A sword?!

I looked around the nearly empty church for the blonde-haired [Knight] of Rias Gremory but found no one.

"If Kiba didn't give me this, then how-?"

"How did you summon that sword, Shirou-san!?" Asia's voice was filled with a mix of shock and awe.

I stared. "W-What? I did-" Then I remembered that voice.

"Ddraig" as it had called itself. He had said he would give me a 'push'.

Is this what he was talking about? Did he summon this sword for me?

Then I realized it was so much then just a single sword. These weird images had started appearing in my mind. Not just one sword. There were hundreds of them. Not just swords, but lances, spears, axes, all sorts of bladed weapons. It wasn't blocking my vision it was like...It was like I close my eyes and I can vividly imagine them in my head. Some images were incredibly blurry, but others were much clearer. I could look at the clearer images and just KNOW what they were called and what they did.

"I don't give a damn if you summon a thousand blades! I will tear you to shreds!" Raynare was clearly freaking out. She started throwing light spear after light spear, but my body reacted on its own with the sword I now possessed. I blocked and shattered each and every one of the light spears thanks to my still enhanced speed. Raynare was fast, but I was still fast enough to keep up.

After at least three dozen of them, I was still tired, the pain from my previous wounds beginning to slowly spread throughout my body.

I could hear Asia whimper behind me as she noticed me trembling slightly.

I had to finish this quickly. I just needed one punch.

And then my blade shattered. I was shocked at how it just up and vanished into thin air after it broke.

"So much for your last hope!" And then another light spear was launched.

It was a long-shot, but I believed that I figured out exactly what power Ddraig had unlocked inside of my Sacred Gear. I closed my eyes and focused, tightening my hands around the hilts of imaginary blades that have yet to come into existence.

Please-PLEASE work!

"Trace...ON!" That wasn't necessary to say, but I was already summoning swords, might as well make this an FSN moment. It was like someone started running electricity through a circuitboard in my body. It was like the poisonus light that Raynare had hit me with, but it was more like a jump start than a painful poison. Like someone spiked my coffee with Red Bull and a pound of sugar.

I then scanned through the images in my mind, picturing two specifically. In a soft whisper, I spoke their names.

"...Kanshou...Bakuya..." The energy that ran through my body traveled all the way to my hands and outward through my fingertips. It began to change and manifest into solid shapes in both of my hands.

Both swords, one black and the other white, seemed to represent the concept of yin and yang. The black sword, Kanshou, was covered in a hexagonal pattern while the white sword, Bakuya, had less of the shine of a polished metal in its ore than it has the haze of a cloud.

I let out a demon-like scream as I charged the slight spear, swinging Bakuya around in order to match it. I easily deflected the blade of light rather than destroy it by reinforcing the swords and continued charging towards Raynare.

"I'm coming for you, you crow!"

Raynare's shock seemed to only increase, but she quickly regained her wits and began firing light spear after light spear.

Using my enhanced [Knight] speed, I was easily able to spin around, dodge, or deflect any light spear that came my way. I was determined to put an end to this was and for all!

And suddenly, I was in front of Raynare, swinging Bakuya down on her.

"No! GET AWAAAAY!" She tried to stab me in the heart with a close-range light spear, but it was met by Bakuya's blade, knocking it out of her hand. There was no defending against the second strike from Kanshou.

I could literally feel my blade pass through Raynare's flesh on her torso, leaving a large, diagonal cut spewing blood on the front of her chest.

She screamed in pain at the wound I inflicted upon her. She raised her leg up and kicked me in the stomach, hitting the wound I was previously inflicted by that shitty priest, Freed. It was enough to stun me from the pain long enough for Raynare to retreat several feet away.

"Fuck this!" Raynare screamed. "I'll deal with you brats later!" With a beat of her powerful black wings, she attempted to fly away. She would've succeeded if it hadn't been for a certain white-haired Devil (AKA Yours truly) grabbing her by the leg, preventing her from getting away.

"Like Hell I'm letting you get away!" I shot her a power hate-filled glare. "After everything you've done, THERE'S NO WAY I'M GOING TO FORGIVE YOU!"

Raynare's very being began to tremble in fear as I felt my killing intent begin to overload my very being. "R-Red!"

I believe she was referring to my eyes. I could almost feel my rage filling my irises. I started to drag her down to the ground when she tried one last attack, throwing another light spear at me. I simply cocked my head to the side, gaining only a single scratch on my cheek. Minor compared to the others wounds I still have on my body.

I straighted my neck and simply stared at Raynare. "You know those moments where you should just give up and walk away with what relatively minor wounds you have but instead choose to wind up in one of those 'Oh shit' moments? This is one of those moments." I allowed both of my swords to shatter into pieces much like my first sword as I drew back my left fist.

"Oh...shit..."

I reinforced my left fist to the max, determined to end this with one final blow.

"You wanna fly away!? THEN START FLYING!" I pulled Raynare close enough to feel the full impact of my reinforced punch. It smashed right into her face, sending her flying and smashing into a wall. I almost flinched a little as her impact created a huge hole in the wall, causing rubble to collapse on her, leaving her partially buried as the dust cleared.

"Take that...you shitty crow..." I wheezed. I turned to Asia and smiled slightly. "I did it...I...I kept my...promise..."

My final enemy having been defeated, my adrenaline gradually faded, giving way to exhaustion. The pain in my body finally got to me. My legs trembled for a minute before finally giving way, causing me to fall forward

I sighed a little as I fell forward. "I did it..."

"Shirou-san!" Asia quickly ran to my side.

I expected to hit the cold and unforgiving ground, but was surprised when I felt a helping hand grab me and start to support me on the owner's shoulder. The stupid prince smiled slightly at me.

"Sorry I'm late."

****Nope. Next chapter is the final installment. This ran on again and I ended up having to break it up into two chapters instead of one. Otherwise nobody would ever be able to finish reading it. So yeah.****

**Thanks for the reads and reviews~!**

****Bye-Bye~!****


	9. Chapter 8: Loneliness Part 3

****NOW it's the final installment! HOORAY! THANK GOD! THANK MAOU-SAMA! THANK THE UNIVERSE! THANK MY COMPUTER FOR NOT OVERHEATING!****

****Disclaimer: I own nothing except OC's.****

****Chapter 8:****

**Loneliness**

****Part 3****

I was too tired to reject his help. "And...where...have you been...?"

Kiba's smile became slightly smaller. He made no gesture to stop Asia as she ran to my side and started to heal my wounds, setting me gently on the ground.

Oh how relieving it felt to feel Asia's power healing me.

Kiba scratched his head. "Well...Buchou had told me not to interfere in your fight, but I thought she would have been here by n-Never mind." I turned my head to see a familiar crimson-haired girl followed by Akeno-san. I don't remember when Koneko-chan appeared, but then there she was.

Buchou shook her head. "My apologies. We would have been here sooner, but our 'friend' had quite a few things to explain to us." Buchou said 'friend' like she wasn't quite sure what other word to use. It wasn't distaste or friendly. Just confusion and uncertainty.

I looked behind Buchou and was relieved to see a familiar blue-haired Onee-sama following behind her, dragging two seemingly unconscious bodies behind her. I recognized them as the gothic lolita, Mittelt, and the trenchcoat guy, Dohnaseek. I let out a relieved sigh that Kalawarner was alright.

Asia let out a surprised yelp at Kalawarner's appearance. "K-Kalawarner-sama!" She seemed to have calmed considerably upon seeing her accompanied by Buchou and Akeno-san and the lack of hostile air around them. She also once again forgot to drop the '-sama' honorific. She quickly resumed healing me upon noticing me flinch in pain.

Nobody paid attention to Koneko-chan as she made her way past me. I would've paid more attention if it wasn't for Buchou standing in front of me with her hands on her hips. I couldn't quite get a fix on what her expression meant for me.

"So...erm..." Come on, words! Make noise!

"Looks like you won safely." Buchou said first. I laughed awkwardly.

"I guess I did, huh?"

Buchou closed her eyes and breathed in and out. "Would you like to verify the words that the Fallen An-I mean Kalawarner-san has told me?"

I blinked. "Er...No...Yes...Maybe? What are we talking about now?" I averted my eyes as Kalawarner set her unconscious comrades onto the floor before reaching into her jacket (which I was pretty sure didn't have a shirt or bra underneath it) and pulling out a rolled up scroll.

Seriously! Who uses SCROLLS anymore?

Kalawarner showed it to Buchou with a slightly annoyed expression on her face, as if she was doing something repeatedly. "This is a confirmed message from Azazel-sama which confirms what I am saying. Why do you not accept this?"

Buchou narrowed her eyes. "I cannot accept your word alone. Even if the Fallen Angel Governor disclaims any knowledge of your movements, I cannot simply go along with it." She then turned to me and her expression softened. "Shirou, is what she says true?"

"Depends on what she's saying. Seriously. Please tell me what you guys are talking about." I know I was still in the hot seat after how I acted before, but I wasn't going to say anything without having all the facts in mind.

Buchou nodded, but Kalawarner was the one who spoke.

"After our previous enlightening conversation, my suspicions began to take over my actions." I assumed she was referring to the one where we became friends and I called the whole hatred between factions was stupid. "I spoke with Azazel-sama. I discussed with him our mission and how we were to observe you. When I brought up the execution orders, Azazel-sama showed nothing but confusion. We discussed it more and more until I realized a horrible truth: We have been decieved by the Fallen Angel, Kokabiel."

"Called it!" I called out, breaking the seriousness of the situation for a moment. Kalawarner let that one slide and continued.

"There had never been any order to execute the former human known as Fujimura Shirou. Kokabiel had gone against Azazel-sama's will and deceived us into carrying out his own intentions." Kalawarner then turned her eyes towards Buchou. "But Rias Gremory does not believe my claim."

Buchou once again turned towards me. "And I need to know, Shirou. She has disclosed to me your 'relationship'." She once again sounded like she wasn't sure what to think of the word. "So you would know her better than I. Do you believe there is any truth to her words, or is it a simple excuse to escape punishment?"

I then realized that the next words out of my mouth could save or condemn the lives of four people.

I took a deep breath as I forced my body to move despite the pain I was in, eventually stumbling to my feet.

Worry flashed across Asia's face as I swayed a bit like a drunk man. I breathed in and out, trying to maintain my balance. Even with Asia's healing, I was still tired.

"I can't really speak about how much the other three knew, but I believe in Kalawarner." The mentioned Fallen Angel smiled at my words. "If she says that she was tricked, then I'd pay attention to her words." I then started stumbling forward until I was between Buchou and Kalawarner. "And if you try to attack her, then I'll defend her with whatever I have left. If this Welsh-Dragon guy in my Sacred Gear gave me the power to beat Raynare, then I think he'll grant me just enough to protect one of the people I care about..." But I was still a little dizzy. I wouldn't be able to do jack.

Buchou's eyes widened momentarily. "'Welsh-Dragon'?"

I nodded, scratching my head. "Yeah. Said his name was "Ddraig" or something...He also said something about my Sacred Gear's original form evolving because of my will..."

I couldn't help but notice the incredibly interested look on Buchou's face, like she had just found an incredibly valuable item worth quite a bit of yen.

Buchou quickly returned to the previous matter. "And can I ask on what grounds do you believe one of the Fallen Angels who conspired to kill you?" I winced a little, but I knew it was necessary for her to say that. She had to be sure I had truly thought this through.

"Well if you want a logical reason other than the fact that she's my friend, then there's the fact I've taken up several contracts with her in the past week or two and she had plenty of opportunities to kill me." I said without thinking. I placed a hand over my heart. "I know you're mad at me about what I said before, and I'm sorry and I know it doesn't make my word worth much, but Kalawarner isn't lying to you, Buchou!"

Buchou was silent for several minutes and I could feel the tension in the air thicken.

Then all at once it vanished.

Buchou nodded. "Very well. I will investigate further, but I'll accept your word of the Fallen Angel Kokabiel's deception, Kalawarner. The crimes of you, Mittelt, and Dohnaseek will be pardoned as you have committed no true crime."

Kalawarner bowed. "You have my gratitude, Daughter of the Gremory clan."

"But there is one who is not innocent." Kalawarner tensed upon realizing one name Buchou had not mentioned. My eyes widened as well.

"Buchou. I've brought it." Koneko-chan suddenly reappeared dragging along the Fallen Angel I had just K.O.'d.

Kalawarner seemed fearful.

"Thank you, Koneko." Buchou said. "Now then, let's wake her up. Akeno."

"Yes." Akeno-san raised her hand to the air, using her magic to make water rain down on Raynare from out of thin air.

There was a loud splash shortly followed by a fit of coughing. The crow woke up, opening her eyes slowly as they turned towards Buchou.

"How are you doing, Fallen Angel Raynare?" Buchou asked casually, but there was no kindness in her words.

"…The daughter of the Gremory clan…" Raynare whispered.

"Hello, my name is Rias Gremory. I'm the next heir of the House of Gremory. It will be for a short while, but nice to have your acquaintance." Buchou said it with a slightly ominous smile that sent shivers down my spine...it was kinda hot.

Raynare then noticed that Kalawarner was standing beside Buchou. Mittelt and Dohnaseek still sat on the ground, not daring to make any aggressive moves after all that they've heard, still too shocked by what Kalawarner had told them no doubt.

"Kalawarner! Mittelt! Dohnaseek! Don't just stand there!" The crow commanded. "Help me!"

Kalawarner shook her head. "I...I can't foolish little sister of the group." Kalawarner clearly couldn't speak Raynare's name. With Buchou's presence, there was no doubt only one fate she had in mind for the poor crow.

Raynare's eyes widened. "W-What?! Are you selling me out to this Devil!? Y-You know Azazel-sama will never forgive you for such a thing!"

"No, Raynare. There will be no consequences for them." A bitter voice said.

"Dohnaseek?! What's the meaning of this?!"

Mittelt spoke with a sad voice. "Kalawarner has come back with news. The orders we received from Kokabiel-sa-I mean Kokabiel were false. He had no authorization from Azazel-sama to order Fujimura's execution. I doubt the 'special mission' from Kokabiel was authorized either."

Raynare seemed unable to process her comrade's words. "What? N-No! That can't be!" She seemed broken by Kalawarner's words. "B-But I was supposed to carry out this mission! I was supposed to gain Azazel-sama's love!" I had to admit I felt pity for her. Not enough to forgive her, but it was kinda sad. As sick and twisted as it was, she did it for love. Even though she was tricked, I couldn't quite forgive her for trying to kill Asia.

Buchou's expression became ten times more serious and hostile. "For everything you've done, I may as well erase you with a single attack, but...As much as I find every last one of your actions reprehensible and worthy of execution, I have no right to do such a thing. As your actions were carried out under the false order of a possible traitor, killing you myself would create many problems between the Fallen Angels and Devils now that Kokabiel's actions are known to the Fallen Angel Governor."

The Fallen Angel seemed to relax slightly, exhaling.

"However." Raynare tensed again at Buchou's words. "I was not the one you wronged. If a certain person whom you had murdered earlier had chosen to taken revenge, it would be out of my hands to intervene considering you assaulted him. After everything that has transpired here, you would've died in combat after attempting to execute Sister Asia before his rescuing of her. Said victim could've killed you in self-defense, thus making it justified. Any judgement he rendered would have been completely out of my hands."

It took me several several seconds after everyone's gaze turned towards me to figure out what Buchou was getting at.

I realized what Buchou was saying, but I couldn't believe it.

She literally just left Raynare's fate to me. I could do anything I wanted to her. I could humiliate or even kill her.

I remembered everything she'd done since the point where she killed me. How she had tried to kill Asia. How much she had spit at my very name. Those thoughts made all of the blood in my body boil with rage.

I could kill the same retched crow who caused so much pain. The one who killed me. The one who I had defeated. The reason I had turned into a Devil...

It was at that moment that I made my decision.

I walked in front of Raynare, staring down at the now-fearful girl. Before anyone could object, I lashed out and grabbed her by the throat with my Sacred Gear-covered hand, lifting her into the air.

She let out a whimper as sweat began to roll down the side of her face. "K-Kalawarner! You w-won't just let him do this, will you?!"

Kalawarner looked at me with a pleading expression. Begging me to keep the promise I made to her. "Shirou..."

"Mittelt! Dohnaseek! PLEASE!" The other two Fallen Angels looked like they didn't know what to do.

Raynare's eyes darted around the room, trying to find a single way to escape while she clawed at my iron grip. She then turned to Asia. "Please! I'm sorry, Asia! You're all about forgiveness and everything, right?! Please help me!"

Asia seemed more afraid than anything. She took several steps back, closing her eyes and turning away, unable to bear the sight before her.

I tightened my grip around the now-crying Raynare's neck. The look of despair on her face should've been delicious to me. It should've encouraged me to tighten my hand around her throat, crushing the life out of her. It should've been sweet after everything that she'd done...but it wasn't.

It left nothing but a feeling of nausea in my throat. I wasn't the kind of person who craved for such an expression upon a person's face.

That's why I was glad I made the decision I did.

I tightened my grip around Raynare's throat only slightly, just enough to elicit another whine of pain. I pulled her closer and glared into her eyes with my own red-colored ones.

"You're pathetic. Nothing but a coward." I insulted. "I should kill you. I should tear you apart as equal exchange for everything you've done to me." Underneath all of the pain and hatred that was inside of me was a different feeling: Sorrow. "You were the first person I've met in a long time whom I had ever actually been open with. I had fun with Yuuma." I ached more at the mention of that fake name.

"Shirou, I-"

"SHUT UP!" I shouted angrily, cutting off the pathetic crow. "I'm not done! You not only insulted me, murdered me, and shredded what may have been my heart into pieces, but you also hurt innocent people who never deserved to ever be even involved in such a cruel world. That is something that is unforgivable!"

If she had any less control, Raynare probably would've wet herself from fear.

"I'M SORRY!" She screamed. I tightened my grasp only slightly.

"I could kill you right now. Nobody in this godforsaken world would give a damn except for maybe one." I glanced at Kalawarner. "But...I won't." I opened my hand, letting Raynare fall to the ground onto her knees, trembling. "I promised Kalawarner I wouldn't kill you. I'm not that kind of guy. I'm going to let you live with the humiliation that the guy whose heart you crushed in more ways than one was the one who defeated you, had you at his mercy, and spared your life."

Buchou crossed her armed in front of her, accepting my decision without contest. "You should be grateful. With Shirou's particular Sacred Gear, he could've easily have put an end to you, Raynare. The Longinus, [Boosted Gear]..." She then paused. "But that's not its name anymore, is it, Shirou? It has evolved into something else after all."

I blinked at Buchou. "Eh?" Then I remembered Ddraig's words. "Oh yeah. The dragon guy said that his original vessel evolved by my strong will...so this is no longer [Boosted Gear], is it?"

Buchou smiled, nodding. "It's not a common everyday occurrence that a Sacred Gear does something like that. It's become a whole new entity."

I closed my eyes. "[Blade Genesis]."

"Hm?"

"If this is a new Sacred Gear made from my will, then I deserve to name it. So this evolved [Boosted Gear] will from now on be called [Blade Genesis]." It was a fitting name. I mean if I was able to use this Sacred Gear to create swords and reinforce items and power, then such a name felt right.

"If it is an evolved version of [Boosted Gear], then it no doubt holds the same power within itself. With such power, one could defeat leader-class Fallen Angels and High-class Devils. If you somehow mastered it, then there is no doubt that you could slay even God Himself."

That's what really caught my attention. "God?! Really?!" I stared at my newly named Sacred Gear in amazement. A few weeks as a Devil, and I already possessed the definite potential to surpass God. It would explained how I survived death so many times. I fist pumped. "Oh yeah~!" I then turned to Raynare and decided to do one more thing. She tensed as I approached her.

"W-Wha-?!"

"Listen up, crow." I spoke in a deadly serious tone. "I'm going to let you go this one time...but if you take one wrong step, if you EVER raise a hand against Asia or anyone I care about again...**I will make you regret the day you were ever born!**" I narrowed my eyes. "Am I clear?"

Raynare couldn't nod quickly enough. She was trembling as she fell to all fours. I turned to Mittelt and Dohnaseek who unconsciously flinched.

"I don't hate you two as much so you're in the clear for now. But you can't hurt Asia or others either." They seemed shocked by how quickly my voice became calm and level. They nodded slowly. I pointed at Mittelt. "I SHOULD pay you back for stomping on me, but you're just too damn adorable-looking."

Mittelt blinked, blushing lightly. "W-What?!" I admit it.

I like cute things. They are the only things I have a weakness against other than Onee-samas. I can't help it! Something about how cute and ad-Never mind! S-Shut up!

It was now that she wasn't trying to kill me that I had actually noticed. Her small figure in that gothic lolita-style outfit was incredibly cute!

I turned to Kalawarner. "So what happens now?"

"I bring these three back and I report to Azazel-sama." There was a strange atmosphere that seeped into the atmosphere.

We both knew what that meant.

"So this is goodbye..." I said sadly. Even though we had only met recently, Kalawarner was one of the first friends I actually started opening up to. It made me feel sad to say goodbye.

Kalawarner smiled softly, grabbing my hand in hers. "Only for now. You'll be seeing me before long~" She added a wink to the end of that, leaving me confused. The other two non-terrified Fallen Angels stood up behind her, Dohnaseek walking over and grabbing Raynare.

I returned Kalawarner's smile. "Alright then. It's a promise."

"U-Um...Kalawarner-s-san?" We both turned to Asia who held her hands nervously in front of her. She shuffled nervously. She bowed. "T-Thank you for protecting Shirou-san a-and for helping me." Clearly she was uncomfortable. Couldn't blame her though. She had a very close brush with death at the hand of one of Kalawarner's comrades. But she was a truly nice girl that she didn't blame Kalawarner in any way like other people might.

Kalawarner released my hand and patted Asia on the head. "I'm sorry. Not only for the cruel fate thrust upon such a kind girl, but also for the actions of the foolish young sister." She was once again referring to Raynare.

Asia shook her head. "It wasn't all bad. I-I was able to become friends with Shirou-san and...and I was really happy."

Kalawarner seemed happy about Asia's response. "He really is a good person..." She turned to me. "Hey, Shirou. Take care of Asia for now, please. Goodbye~!" In a flash, all four of the Fallen Angels vanished, leaving me unable to even respond to Kalawarner's request. Asia seemed just as surprised by Kalawarner.

Perhaps this is Asia being let go by the Fallen Angels...

I scratched my head. "I'm really tired..."

I was surprised by a hand on my shoulder. I turned to see Buchou smiling softly at me.

Even after everything I said...she...she wasn't mad?

"Then shall we go home, Shirou?" I nodded before turning back to Asia. I offered her my hand.

"Let's go, Asia." Even if Kalawarner hadn't asked, I was going to protect Asia.

The Sister seemed surprised by my request and seemed uncertain. "I...I don't want to be a burden. I want to help Shirou-san, but I..."

"Then would you care to become my servant?" Both Asia and I turned to Buchou. "I won't lie. If you become a Devil, you will be turning your back on God. But I promise that no harm will ever come to you. You will become my previous [Bishop] if you'd like. It is your choice, Asia. I will help you if you'd like."

I was surprised by Buchou's request. This was different from when I became a Devil. Asia wasn't in a life or death situation, but Buchou was not being forceful. Not only that, but she genuinely sounded like she wanted to help Asia. No ulterior motives or anything. All of her words were honest.

I don't know why...but I just now noticed Buchou's words...

Asia was not only surprised, but uncertain. She looked at the destroyed cross at the back of the church.

I stared sadly. "Asia...if you don't want t-"

"I'll do it!" Asia's determined expression was kind of cute. "If I do this...if I become a Devil...then I can be friends with Shirou-san without causing trouble and..." I patted her gently on the head.

"You don't have to worry about such stupid things, dummy." I said calmly. "Regardless of whether or not you become her servant, I will protect you. Even if not official, you are my friend and comrade, so I'll always protect you!"

"B-But I want to! I-If I can really use my power to help someone, then I want to do it." Asia looked happy, sad, and determined all at the same time.

Buchou smiled. "Very well then. Once we return, I will gladly turn you into my servant, Asia. Now let's go." She turned to leave.

I was stunned.

I said such rude things to her...such cruel things to everyone...even so, they had helped me without any true fear of the consequences...They could've died and...

"Shirou...?" I heard Buchou's worried voice. I finally realized that there was no other intentions in her voice. She was truly worried about me, Shirou Fujimura. Not the wielder of the newly named [Blade Genesis]. Not the [Demon King of Kuoh]. Not the servant [Pawn].

I realized I was hesitating in following everyone. "Why...?"

Kiba was the first to speak. "Why...what?"

I glared at him, not sure what I was feeling inside. "Why...Why would you all help me?!" I fell to my knees, exhausted in more ways then one. "I gave you no reason to help me! Why the Hell did you help me?!"

Akeno-san raised a hand to her mouth. "Are you angry that we helped you?"

I quickly shook my head, sensing the slight displeasure in her voice. "No! Don't get me wrong! I'm grateful for all of your help! I'm happy that Asia's safe and everything, but...I...I said horrible things to all of you." I was trembling...why was I trembling. "I'm just a dumb beast and I said I hated all of you..." I turned to Buchou. "And...and I said especially terrible things to you, Buchou! Why are you all acting as if nothing had ever happened!? I..."

I then realized what this feeling in my chest was: Guilt.

I couldn't accept that they would help me after what I'd said. "I'm sorry...When I said I was going to save Asia, I said rude stuff to you because you wouldn't help… But you were helping me behind the scene and…" I couldn't take it anymore. "Just...why? I'm just a useless [Pawn]! You would get 7 others probably stronger than me!" I couldn't lie. Compared to the other pieces, I was useless in battles off of enemy territory. My power, even with [Blade Genesis], was novice at best.

"No. My only [Pawn] is you, Shirou." I stared in shock. "When reincarnating a human to a Devil we use the [Evil Pieces], but depending on the ability of the person being reincarnated, more [Evil Pieces] will be consumed."

I cocked my head sideways.

"There's a saying like this in the world of chess. Queens have a value of 9 Pawns. Rooks have a value of 5 Pawns. Knights and Bishops have a value of 3 Pawns each. Like this, there are standard values that also apply to the Evil Pieces. A similar phenomenon happens to those reincarnated. If there are those who can only be reincarnated with 2 Knight pieces, then there are also those who need 2 Rook pieces to be reincarnated. There's also the compatibility with the pieces as well. You can't use 2 separate Pieces to give them different roles, so it's important to think how to use the pieces. Once you use it, Devils won't be given a new [Evil Pieces]."

"What does that mean...?" I was still a cruel and worthless servant.

"Shirou, I used all of the [Pawn] pieces when I resurrected you. If I hadn't, I couldn't have made you into a Devil."

I tensed.

Buchou...you gave up all of your [Pawn] pieces...for stupid me...

"When I found out, I decided to definitely make you into my servant. But I couldn't find the reason for a while. But now I'm convinced. The Sacred Gear that is said to be supreme. Because it was you, Shirou, who possess the [Boosted Gear] which is said to be one of the supreme Sacred Gear, the [Longinus], therefore it had that much value. It should've gone up considering that it evolved with your power..."

I fell on all fours. "But...I'm so stupid! Stupid stupid stupid!" This only made me feel more guilty. "Why are you acting like I'm forgiven!? You should be angry with me! Cursing this stupid demon!"

I expected some kind of strike or threat of punishment, but instead I felt a soft hand on my head.

"It's because you're my adorable [Pawn]. Besides, I am also at fault." Buchou responded. "You were my servant, but I didn't understand your feelings until now."

What?

Then I realized Buchou had heard everything I had said to Raynare and I felt horribly embarrassed. I had been speaking with my heart open then and I hadn't truly been thinking.

Kiba nodded at Buchou's words. "We just assumed you'd easily go along with everything, but we never gave you an honest reason to be friends with us." The handsome prince actually looked sorry. "You were never given a reason to open up."

Koneko-chan appeared to agree. "...We're comrades."

"It's alright, Shirou." Buchou's voice was still calm and kind.

"Ara ara, are you crying, Shirou-kun?" Akeno-san's voice didn't seem to truly be laughing despite the way she spoke.

I then realized that my cheeks were warm and wet.

I was crying. I wasn't angry or sad...I think I was happy and relieved.

T-They were...they were forgiving me...

I slammed my forehead against the ground with as much force as I could manage.

"PLEASE FORGIVE ME!" Pride be damned! I'm going to do this right! I can't just let them give it to me!

"S-Shirou-san!" Asia seemed worried due to the fact that my skull had smashed a small crater into the ground. But I would not give up. I had to do this.

"PLEASE FORGIVE THIS STUPID SERVANT, MASTER!"

Buchou seemed taken aback by my words. "S-Shirou-"

I raised my head, tears still in my eyes. "I am very very sorry for everything I've said and done! I am undeserving of such a kind Master. From now on, I will gladly follow your orders without question, Master!"

"U-Uh, Shirou-"

"I will accept any punishment for insulting you! Even if the price is my life, I request your forgiveness, Master!" I had to earn it. It was only now that I've stopped being a royal jackass that I've noticed it.

These people were not motivated by only self-interest in saving me. They...They cared about whether I lived or died. Like Asia. Like Kalawarner.

These were good people.

I kept myself prostrated in front of Buchou, determined to accept anything she would punish me with.

"I forgive you, Shirou." Buchou said softly. "As I have been ignorant to you, I will forget what you have done already. So raise your head and hold some pride as my servant, Shirou." She held out a hand to me which I happily grasped.

"As you wish, Master."

Buchou seemed uncomfortable for a moment. "Um...You don't have to call me 'Master'."

I raised a fist in front of me. "Oh yes! How stupid of me to call you 'Master', Mistress Gremory!"

"U-Uh, n-no. Not that either, I-"

"My liege?"

Buchou shook her head. "No."

"King-sama?"

" Just call me Buchou."

"As you wish, Buchou-sama."

"N-No. Just Buchou, Shirou. NOTHING else." Buchou seemed tired for some reason.

Had she been busier than I thought?

I nodded. "Yes, Buchou." I felt my newfound loyalty to my apparently kind master burn deep inside my chest.

"Ara ara. It looks like Buchou has a new admirer."

"Akeno." Buchou had a slight warning tone.

"Indeed." I said proudly. "Buchou is a very admirable person!" My eyes had been opened.

I will serve Buchou to the end. I will become the most powerful [Pawn] in existence for her.

The ultimate [Pawn]. That is my new goal.

I will surpass God as well as make Buchou proud as her [Pawn].

I will protect her, Asia, Koneko-chan, Akeno-san, and even the stupid prince! My comrades!

"Do you need a tissue, Shirou-san?" Asia asked kindly.

I realized I was still crying.

"Shirou's emotional side is rather cute. He can become cute when he's crying." Akeno-san said, amused. My face turned red as I quickly wiped my tears from my eyes.

"S-Shut up, Baka! I-I'm not crying!" I glared at her.

"W-Why did Shirou-san become so angry all of a sudden?"

"I-I'm not angry! I'm not crying either! A-And don't think I'm happy about anything either! I-It's not like I'm happy about being forgiven or anything!"

"...Tsundere?"

"W-Who are you calling a tsundere, Koneko?!"

"Hm. You are looking somewhat tsundere right now, Shirou-kun."

"S-Shut up, Kiba! I'm not tsundere! B-Baka, who said you could use '-kun' with my first name anyway, you stupid prince?!"

"Your face is really red, Shirou-san."

"P-Please be quiet right now, Asia."

"Hehe~! You're kinda cute as a tsundere, Shirou."

"Y-You really think so, Buchou. I-Wait! I'm not tsundere, dammit! I'm NOT!"

Five seconds and I was already feeling sad inside.

Why meeeeee?!

* * *

[The Next Day]

I entered the clubhouse the next day with a huge bump on my head.

"Oh, you came." Buchou turned to me as I entered the room. I felt my cheeks heat up a little, remembering the previous night. She stared at the bump on my head. "Uh..."

I laughed awkwardly. "Hehehe. Yeah. Mako-nee was really pissed about me being missing for almost an entire day." I sighed, remembering how loudly she had been yelling. I bowed my head to her slightly. "B-But good morning anyway, Buchou."

"Good morning, Shirou."

I felt my face heating up more. "B-Buchou. I-I just wanted to say that I am honored that you thought me worthy enough to use all of your [Pawn] pieces to bring me back, so I will do my best to become the strongest [Pawn]! I promise!"

Buchou smiled. "I will hold you to that. But remember, you are my valued [Pawn]. So get stronger, but be safe as well." She paused for a moment. "And never underestimate your own value. When I was trying to reincarnate you, the only pieces I had left were 1 Knight, 1 Rook, 1 Bishop and 8 Pawns. To make you into my servant, I could only use all 8 pieces of Pawn. And your compatibility with the Pawn was also good. The other pieces didn't have the power to reincarnate you. To begin with, the value of [Pawn] is still a mystery. Also including its [Promotion]. That's why I gambled on that possibility. As a result, you were the best."

I scratched my head, more and more embarrassed with each passing moment.

Am I really worth that much?

"Our matching power is also great since it's crimson and red, 'Crimson-Hair Ruin Princess' as I am called and your red [Blade Genesis]. I know that you can become the ultimate [Pawn]. If it's you, you can definitely do it. It's because you are my adorable servant." I felt happy for some reason.

Buchou's praises made me feel all strange and happy inside.

I was snapped out of my daze when I noticed Buchou's face moving closer to mine. In my deepest thoughts, I thought Buchou was going to kiss me. I quickly closed my eyes, trying to remove such thoughts from my head.

Turns out I was right...sort of.

I felt Buchou's soft lips press gently against my forehead and I felt my face light up red like a Christmas light.

"That is a good luck charm. Get stronger, OK?" I nodded very quickly. It was what I promised.

Now I had yet another person to get stronger for.

"I should probably stop adoring you now. The new girl will get jealous of me..."

I cocked my head sideways, confused. "New girl?"

"S-Shirou-san?"

I turned in shock to see a familiar blonde girl walk into the room. "A-Asia?" I couldn't help but feel confused as her smile seemed kind of forced.

Are you mad at me, Asia?

"It has to be… R-Rias-buchou is very beautiful, so even Shirou-san will also like her… No, no. I can't think like that!" Before Asia could continue, Buchou snapped her fingers.

"Ah yes. Also, due to 'special circumstances', several 'temporary' members will be assigned to the Occult Research Club." Buchou said 'special circumstances' and 'temporary' in a tone I found familiar. Like she wasn't mad, but she wasn't entirely happy either. "They should be here right about...now."

The door opened once more to reveal four figures.

"EEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHH!?"

WHY ARE THEY HERE!?

"Well, what a rude welcome, Shirou~!"

"K-K-KALAWARNER?!"

My Fallen Angel friend winked at me. "I told you we'd be seeing each other soon, Shirou~!" She was dressed in something much more formal than her previous jacket. She was dressed in an outfit reminiscent to a nurse's.

"I did not think I would have to see you again so soon, Longinus-wielder." Dohnaseek sounded uneasy and not entirely happy. Then again, we weren't friends or anything. He had traded up his fedora and trenchcoat for what appeared to be a track suit and a whistle wrapped around his neck.

"Yo~! Been a while, Shirou-kun~!" The Fallen Angel, Mittelt, seemed more focused on the girl's uniform she wore. "I'm mostly here because the uniform's so cute~!"

It was indeed cute especially when she was wearing it. She and Asia were currently tied for first place on list of cutest girls I've ever seen.

And the last of the group tensed and ran behind Kalawarner when I turned to look at her.

My eyes narrowed at her very existence.

Raynare.

What the hell is she doing here?...Come to think of it...

"Why are ANY of you here?" I asked. Raynare flinched behind Kalawarner. She was clearly still terrified of me since our previous meeting. "I mean, not to be rude or anything...but weren't you four supposed to go back yesterday?"

Buchou's face twitched noticeably. "Well, according to _this_, they are now _your_ responsibility and by affiliation mine." She then handed me a slip of paper while trying to conceal her annoyance. It was addressed to both Buchou and ME as well. I opened the letter and read the contents:

_To both the daughter of the Gremory Clan, Rias Gremory, and the wielder of [Boosted Gear] or [Blade Genesis] as I've been told it's called:_

_I am grateful to you for cleaning up the mess that my subordinates had made. If Kalawarner had not been convinced to contact me, the situation may have ended up much worse than it did for EVERYONE. For that, you have my thanks, Fujimura Shirou. And now I have a favor to ask. As Kokabiel is now aware that his manipulations have been discovered, he may attempt to eliminate any evidence i.e. the four he had deceived into carrying out his false orders. Therefore, I request that the S-k-ryuut-_

It looked like the writer had crossed something out. Something he hadn't meant to write. Whatever it was, it was illegible now.

-_the wielder of [Blade Genesis] take them under his protection as well as to observe the town and observe any further action Kokabiel takes and report it to me. So I'm counting on you two._

"It's signed by the Governor of the Fallen Angels, Azazel." Buchou had said. "For whatever reason, he's requested that YOU personally keep an eye on them and protect them."

I blinked. "Why me?"

"Apparently Azazel-sama trusts you a lot~!" Mittelt said cheerfully. "So we've been placed in your protective custody, Shirou-kun~!" There was much less hostility and sadism than when she had last spoken to me with cheer.

"That doesn't answer my question!" I shouted this time. "Why do I have to take care of this?! And isn't there some kind of thing where Azazel's supposed to be enemies with other races?!"

Kalawarner shook her head. "No. Azazel-sama is actually rather fond of the peace. He finds it to be more prosperous for the Fallen Angels with no big battles to worry about. He has nothing against the other factions personally. And because you have spared us and saved us, we are your responsibility now." She then pulled down her collar to reveal something new. A black collar.

"What the-?!"

"These are collars to make sure we behave." Dohnaseek explained. "One mistake and-"

"BOOM!" Mittelt said helpfully. "Our heads get blown off in a gorey fashion! We've entered a contract to follow your orders and not to cause trouble until such a time as we are recalled by Azazel-sama. So you're stuck with us for a while!"

"Isn't that a bit excessive?" I asked. I then turned to Raynare who flinched again as I narrowed my eyes. "On second thought, never mind. You can forget it if _she's_ going to be around as well! There's no way I'm going to let her anywhere NEAR Asia after what she did! I don't give a damn if a psycho Fallen Angel is after her! Let him have her for all I care!"

"Shirou-san..." I turned to see Asia tugging on my sleeve nervously. "I-If Raynare-san is in danger as well as Kalawarner-san, t-then we should at least let them s-stay." She said this with her usual puppy dog eyes. "Y-You should be able to at least f-forgive Raynare-san somewhat if I can, right?"

Asia, you are so cute and forgiving! I think I might cry!

But I still needed one more opinion. I turned to my master. "What do you think, Buchou?"

Buchou crossed her arms and appeared to be thinking. "As long as they behave themselves, I will tolerate them." She answered with a sigh. "I've already made arrangements for each of them to be given a place at the school."

Kalawarner walked forward and bowed. "Kalawarner Reed. The new school nurse~! Nice to meet you~!"

Dohnaseek didn't bother and bowed his head. "Dohnaseek Alexander. I'll be taking charge of PE from here on out."

Mittelt spun around on her heels, showing off every side of her. "And I'm Mittelt Kazanami, your new, cute, and lovable kouhai~! So please take care of me, Fujimura-senpai~!" She was clearly into this.

Raynare seemed to be the most hesitant of the four. She was in her form she used as 'Yuuma'. It was only with a lot of nudging that she moved even an inch closer to us. "I-I'll be called Yuuma Amano. S-So...please..." She dared to use the same name as when she had killed me.

I glared at her, causing her to freeze. She looked pale and like she was going to throw up.

"It's nice to meet you, 'Yuuma-san'." Asia was the once who broke the long ensuing silence. I stared at her, shocked as she casually walked up to 'Yuuma' and grabbed one hand. She was trembling. BOTH of them were trembling. "I...I admit I'm still afraid, but R-Raynare-san is a person who can also feel things...s-so w-we should try to get along, right?"

Yuuma nodded, swallowing. "Yes. Let's get along, A-Asia." Her face then turned a deep shade of green.

"A-Ah! The bathroom's this way, Yuuma-san!" Asia grabbed Yuuma's hand and ran off to keep her from releasing her stomach contents onto the floor. I knew that Asia was safe as she was so close to Gremory territory and that was the only reason I hadn't stopped them. Besides, with that collar, Raynare wouldn't try anything. I was still going to watch her though.

I sighed. "Out of all the names, why did that crow choose that one...?" I had meant to be talking to myself, but I had said it out loud.

"I don't know." Kalawarner replied. "Ra-I mean 'Yuuma', as we're supposed to call her now, said that the name was important to her, so that's what she chose. The rest of us felt too uncomfortable about changing our names, so we simply added last ones to avoid Kokabiel's detection."

I sweatdropped. "That sounds like a very terrible and poorly thought out idea." But I can't help but wonder how much of a sadist Raynare or 'Yuuma' as I would now start calling her was that she chose the name she had when she killed me. Perhaps it's payback for me terrifying her as I did. I sighed. "But it is good to see you again, Kalawarner."

Kalawarner smiled. "I couldn't really let things end without me returning THIS." She placed something in my hand. I looked at it in surprise.

"D-Devi-chan?!" I had completely forgotten my onee-sama's good luck charm in all of the excitement.

Kalawarner nodded. "It's as if that charm really brought us together again."

"Yeah." The moment was killed by a loud 'AWWWWW~!' coming from Mittelt and the returning Asia. Apparently Asia had left Yuuma in the bathroom to relieve her stomach issues.

"Wow~! You two really pull off a perfect romance scene!"

""R-Romance!?"" Kalawarner and I both screamed.

"Now hold on! N-Nobody ever said anything about romance!"

"Y-Yeah! We never said we liked or loved each other or had feelings or anything!"

"Funny. I didn't mention you liked each other...but now I will. You liiiiiike each otheeeeerrrr~!"

"Shove it, Mittelt!"

"I can't wait to spread this around~!"

"You better not, you gothic lolita!"

"With Dohnaseek as my witness-"

"Not getting involved."

"Oh, you traitor!"

And this marked the day that several new members joined the Occult Research Club.

There's Buchou's new [Bishop], Asia Argento. There's also the four Fallen Angels: Kalawarner, Mittelt, Dohnaseek, and the crow, Raynare.

So much happening in so little time...

I suppose it's all a day in the life of the loyal [Pawn] of Rias Gremory.

I would keep my promise both to Buchou and that girl I love.

**On that note. I'm finally finished! Hooray! Finally finished with the first story arc after seven chapters! Hooray!**

**Thanks for the reads and reviews~!**

**Bye-Bye!**


	10. Chapter 9: Un-Familiar Friend

****Hello~! Time to move on for a less serious chapter post-Raynare Arc~! Time to screw with the canon a bit more here~! Enjoy~!****

****Disclaimer: I own nothing except OC's.****

****Chapter 9:****

****Un-Familiar Friend****

"OK, Shirou. This time I'm serious when I'm asking this: Did you get laid?"

Kiryuu had a surprised expression on her face as she stared at me leaning my head against my arm after classes had ended.

I raised an eyebrow at Kiryuu's question. "What's the cause for the question this time?"

"Well, all day you've had that out-of-place pleased and satisfied smile on your face." Kiryuu pointed out.

It was at that moment that I realized I had indeed been smiling. I quickly tried frowning several times and managed to get rid of it. "Well what's wrong with me smiling?"

"Nothing other than the fact you're either wearing a bored or passive aggressive expression on your face."

I sighed. "Could you please go die somewhere?"

"There's another thing! You would never say 'please go die'!" Kiryuu pointed out yet again. "You usually just say 'Die!' or 'Go die somewhere'! 'Please' is just so out-of-character!"

"And that's not all!"

And then came Matsuda, the stupid self-proclaimed lolicon.

"Yeah! We've also spotted you often heading to the nurse's office!" And then appeared the other 'Pervy Glasses Character', Motohama. "You're always speaking with the hot, new school nurse! What's your deal!? Give us the details! First the hot girls in your Occult Research Club and now even older women working at the school!"

"And don't forget the adorable, new transfer student, Mittelt! Her small body is second on my favorite list second only to Koneko Toujou!" When I thought about it, Mittelt may just barely qualify as a loli. "You're always around either of those two or the other new girl, Asia!"

This time all three perverts spoke in perfect unison. ""WHAT IS GOING ON!?"" They all leaned forward and were right in my face. I felt a vein pop out on my forehead. Then a mischievous idea popped into my head.

"Yep. You're right. I'm no longer a virgin."

All three of them turned into stone statues that began to crack.

""WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!?""

Even Kiryuu was positively shocked by the statement, her glasses almost slipping off her face.

Everyone in the classroom glanced at us before noticing I was involved in the conversation before looking away or pretending to look away while eavesdropping on us.

I smirked. "Yeah. I'm really close with Kalawarner-san," I had to downplay our friendship by speaking more formally to/about her around others, "Every time I go to the nurse's office, I get a bit of 'swelling' treated by her using all of her 'assets'. Sometimes we used 'something warm' on it but we always had to use protection when doing such a thing. Sometimes Mittelt would watch or join in. She made up for her small size with her immense skill."

The Perverted Duo continued listening with both suspense and jealousy clear on their expressions.

"And wanna know what Kalawarner whispers in my ear when we've finished being tender?" All three perverts leaned in, red-faced. "'You three are such gullible idiots'."

The wind was the only thing that could be heard as the three realized what had just happened.

"I REFUSE TO BELIEVE THAT!" Motohama shouted. His arms were crossed into an 'X' shape. "SOMETHING had to have happened!"

"Yeah!" Matsuda agreed. "You HAVE TO be at least attempting to taste their sweet honey!"

I sighed, shaking my head. "Look. Just because I'm around girls with huge chests or cute lolis doesn't automatically mean I'm losing my virginity anytime soon..." I then hunched over at that depressing thought as if punched. I was around beautiful girls everyday but I was no closer to cashing in my V-card. I suppose there were a few perks to the girls I was around.

Thanks to being friends with Kiryuu, it was easier to keep an eye on what she was exposing the oh so beautifully pure Asia to. I would protect Asia, the girl I now see as my little sister, from all of the evils of this world.

Things have also improved with Buchou and it's only now that I see her as the smart, incredibly beautiful Onee-sama she is. Apparently, when it comes to jobs, I've quickly become one of the more popular ones among the group. Some are actually girls from school. Some simple requests I've been able to fulfill like 'Watch my baby brother' or 'Help me with my homework'. Because of this, I've become more popular with the girls from school. However, there have been other requests of a slightly more perverted n-Nevermind. Forget about it. My point is that...what was my point again?

Kiryuu shrugged. "Well, if you say so." She knew it was time to give up on this topic. She was a good girl.

"Come on! A big guy like you resisting Mittelt-chan or Koneko-chan?! I refuse!"

I felt my eye twitch as I grabbed the bald lolicon by his collar. "Exactly what are you insinuating I DO exactly to girls?" Matsuda shrank back a little.

"I...that...er...It...That came out wrong." He waved his hands trying to keep me from breaking his face. "I meant BIG as in like reputation, HAHAHAHA! Come on, you know what I meant!"

Motohama adjusted his glasses. "Well, I honestly thought what Shirou thought that you were saying he-"

"ANYWAAAY," I wanted to change the direction of the topic away from this. "Well, I'm just gonna be blunt and say I'm not a fan of lolis. I like Onee-sama-type girls. Girls who have a good backside and big oppai. Just a little older and hotter-looking." I paused. "Well I could overlook the first and last condition of a girl as long as they have big ones." I paused again when Motohama placed a hand on my shoulder. Tears were leaking from his eyes from behind his glasses.

"Brother..." I grabbed his hand and removed it from my shoulder slowly.

"Don't touch me."

"Wait." Motohama interjected. "If you like girls with big oppai, then how did you end up dating Kiryuu?" He was answered by a smack to the back of the head with a magazine courtesy of said red-head.

"I don't see how that's any of your business." She was leaking hostility.

I waved it off. "Point is, I'm not as interested in Mittelt and Koneko-chan. They don't have a lot to grab really. I'm not that into small g-" I paused once more. I breathed in...then out, taking in the atmosphere of death behind me and the terrified expressions of my three friends in front of me. "They're right behind me, aren't they?"

All three perverts nodded slowly. I sighed, turning me head slowly to indeed see Koneko-chan and Mittelt glaring daggers at me, both emanating an aura of absolute malice.

The smart thing in that particular situation is to apologize or say nothing...I'm not smart.

"...is this because I pointed out your flat chests and your short stature?"

* * *

ORC Clubroom...

I sat in the clubroom, getting my injuries treated by Asia's sweet healing ability. It hurt, but I wasn't going to let it show.

Damn those two could be scary when they want to be. After she finished trying to bite my head off (literally. She LITERALLY hopped on my back and started gnawing on my skull), Mittelt left Koneko-chan to take me back to the clubroom. She said it was something only concerning Buchou's servants. The other Fallen Angels were absent as well.

That was a shame, I would've loved to see Nurse Kalawarner again...

Yep. I've developed a slight fetish for nurses as well. Can't help it. Kalawarner looks sexy in her nurse outfit. I admit it. If you saw her, you would admit it too.

I turned to Koneko-chan and bowed my head once more in apology. She ignored me, no doubt still upset.

The only reason I still breathe is that I still owed Koneko-chan the candy for her help saving Asia.

She really knew how to throw a punch. I thought she was going to try to seriously kill me for a while.

"You are lucky to be alive." Buchou noted. Yep. That was indeed true.

"Perhaps you should know not to speak about such taboo subjects around Koneko-chan."

True, Akeno-san. Very true.

Kiba just placed a hand on my shoulder with a pitying smile on his face.

I DON'T GET WHAT THE FUCK THAT MEAAAANS! STUPID PRIIIINCE!

What is with guys and placing their hands on my shoulder?

"Well, can we change the subject to something OTHER than me learning not to call Koneko-chan underdeveloped?"

I flinched as I felt Koneko-chan's burning gaze trying to set me ablaze. I could feel sweat rolling down the back of my neck.

I really gotta learn how to stay off of Koneko-chan's bad side.

"Auuuu..." Asia seemed sad about something. "Does Shirou-san dislike small...?" An aura of depression seemed to surround her.

I then realized Asia was in the room and flinched. "N-No! It's nothing like that, Asia! I don't dislike small chests or anything! G-Girls of all sizes are great! I-I just mean that-"

I mentally prayed to Satan that if he existed, to strike me down before I made my situation worse.

"So, Buchou~!" I said quickly to change the subject. "Why exactly did you call us here?"

"Familiars."

I blinked. "Familiars?"

Buchou nodded. "Yes, a familiar. You and Asia still don't have one yet."

According to Buchou, familiars are an existence which becomes the hand and foot of us devils. They become handy for the Devils job. Normally, handing out the leaflets are the jobs of a familiar. It was also the job for newcomers as well. NOOOW I get what Buchou meant. It was because I didn't have a familiar that I was stuck riding on my bicycle to hand them out.

A red bat suddenly appeared on Buchou's palm after making a sound. "This is my familiar."

It was the same color as Buchou's hair and had an air of nobility about it.

Akeno summoned something as well. "This one here is mine." It was some sort of mini Oni.

"...This is," She then noticed something unpleasant, "...Shiro...Much better than you." I ignored Koneko-chan's insult and found myself staring at the small kitten.

"So cute..." My eyes were sparkling at the small kitten's adorableness. "...with the little paws and the soft-looking fur and-" I tensed when I realized that everyone was giving me a curious look. I felt my face heat up before I turned my gaze to the side. "Pfft. Like I c-care about some silly old cat Hahahaha..." Everyone was still staring at me. I coughed into my fist.

Koneko-chan stared. "...Tsun-"

"So KIBA!" Changing the topic! "What's your familiar?!"

"Mine is this." A small bird appeared on his shoulder. Kinda lame really.

I actually felt a little depressed. I would kill for an awesome familiar. Maybe a cute lil kitty like Shir-I-I mean something awesome l-like-er...

"A familiar is a basic for devils. They can help their masters. They can be used for information transmission. They can be used for persisting. You and Asia also need one since it can be used for adapting to certain situations." Buchou patted me on the cheek. I turned away, my cheeks reddening slightly.

I-I'm not some kind of child! I-It's not like I like that kind of gesture or anything!

I was only snapped out of my thoughts when I noticed a magic circle shine beneath me.

"Buchou, preparation is set." Akeno reported. Asia and I looked at one another, both wondering what that meant. It took me a second to realize.

"Wait! Right NOW?!"

Buchou smiled. "There is no time like the present. Now let's go capture your familiars."

And then we were swallowed by a light.

* * *

When the light died down, we were in the middle of an unfamiliar forest. Seriously, what is it with Devils and locations that look like they could've come straight out of a horror flick? Large, dark trees decorated the landscape for as long as the eye could see and the sky was a dark-red color, like blood.

"In this forest there are many familiar devil users living here. Today, I will have Shirou and Asia get their familiars here." Buchou stated.

Rock on!

I'm really thankful for my Devil eyes because otherwise it would be darker than an abyss.

Seriously. I had the distinct feeling that something was gonna pop out somewhere. It cold, dark, and full of indistinguishable trees that makes it easy to get lost on your own. I really feel like this is the kind of place a serial killer would vacation at.

"Get daze!"

"Huh?!"

"Kyaa!" Asia screamed.

I couldn't blame her. The sudden loud voice took me by surprise. I felt a little more happy when Asia hid behind my back. It was so adorable and made me feel like punching whatever appeared would mean so much more.

The weirdo who appeared to us was some older guy where clothes several sizes too small and a hat turned sideways.

"My name is Satooji of Madara Town! I'm a Devil in training, aiming to become the Familiar Master!"

I frowned, thinking. "Why does it feel like something's being referenced here?"

Buchou gestured to me and Asia. "Satooji-san, I brought the ones I spoke of."

"Hee. A dull-faced boy and a blonde beauty huh. OK! Leave it to me! If it's me any Familiar immediately would be 'get daze'!"

My eye twitched. "Who's he calling a 'dull-faced boy'?" I did my best to keep my killing intent under control. I hid it entirely, putting on an innocent expression when Buchou turned our way.

"Shirou. Asia. He is a professional in terms of familiars. Today we will catch familiars in this forest while receiving advice from him. Okay?"

"Yes." Asia said. I reluctantly nodded.

"Now, what type of familiar do you desire? Strong one? Fast one? Or one with poison? There are so many different types of familiars to capture."

"Seriously. Am I the ONLY person who feels like something's being referenced here?" Nobody seemed to hear that. I cleared my throat. "Anyway, which one would you recommend?" He may be weird, but Satooji probably knows what he's doing.

Said Familiar Master pulled something out that looked like a catalog and pointed at a creature drawn on it that displayed great ferocity. It covered the whole page.

"This is what I would recommend! One of the Dragon-Kings! Chaos Karma Dragon, Tiamat! It's a legendary dragon! It's also the only female among the Dragon-Kings! Even until now, there hasn't been a devil who has caught her yet! That would be obvious! Since it's said to be as strong as a Maou!"

I paused, waiting for that message to be processed by my brain. "SO COOOOOOL! HELL YEAH I WANNA GET A DRAGON-KING AS A FAMILIAR!"

"Ah, Shirou-san's eyes are sparkling!"

Indeed they are, Asia! Indeed they are! A DRAGON who is on the level of a Devil Maou?!

HELL YEAH! Who WOULDN'T want a familiar like that?! Not to mention the title itself "Chaos Karma Dragon" is unbelievably badass! I wonder what this Tiamat lady is like!

[...That...may not be the best idea.]

Oh hey! It's Mr. Welsh Dragon guy! Been a while since I heard your voice. Thought I had just been going crazy due to blood loss for a while there. So what's this now?

[Well, I...If she finds out that you're my host, she may smash you into a grease spot.]

…...Now she sounds even MORE awesome! Yep! I'm definitely gonna go see if I can get her as a fa-

I frowned again. "Buchou, why are you upside-down?" I was staring at everyone's surprised faces as they were looking up (down?) at me. But then I recognized the ground they were standing on and realized that I was the ony who was upside-down. I felt some kind of creature's talony grip wrapped around my leg and holding me upside down in the air. I looked down (up?) to see a feathery creature of some sort flapping its wings dragging me into the sky.

...Eh?

"WHAT THE-?!"

"S-Shirou-san's being k-kidnapped!" Asia screamed.

Buchou's eyes widened in surprise. "S-Shirou!"

I began flailing about, trying to reach for the creature's talons, but my gaze kept falling downward towards the ground that was quickly getting further and further away. I didn't feel comfortable with my odds of surviving if I ended up hitting the ground head first.

I could see the tops of hundreds of trees passing me by as the feathered humanoid creature dragged me through the air.

I glared downwards (upwards?). "HEY! PUT ME DOWN, YOU!" I WOULD try summoning a sword and attacking the creature, but, as stated before, I didn't exactly feel comfortable with my chances of surviving the fall.

"Yip yip yippeeee! Mimi caught herself a good catch! Yep yep! A good catch indeed!"

Holy shit, it talks! And it's a girl apparently.

"Good mating partner! I can't wait to put his **EXCALIBUR** into my **POWER OF HOLE** and go up and down until we both unleash our** [EXPLOSION]** all over each other's sweaty bodies!"

I quickly covered my ears. I couldn't help but wish for some sort of censor to replace particularly dirty words with something else. There was one thing I could be sure of:

I was gonna be raped by a monster!

AAAAHHH! Buchou! Mako-nee! Somebodyyyyy! Not like this! NOT LIKE THIS!

Then the creature released her claws from around my leg, dropping me thanks to the power of gravity.

I raised my arms over my head, ready to soften the damage caused by the painful impact against the ground. Instead I found myself hitting something a bit softer. My head was buried a foot inside the material until I planted both of my hands against the surface of the material and pushed my head out.

I looked around and was shocked to see that I was in a nest. A literal bird's nest. It was much larger though. Large enough to fit two pe-

Then I was tackled back against the nest by a familiar bird-creature.

She placed her feathered hands/wings against my chest.

"NO! DON'T TOUCH ME YOU FEATHER-COVERED-Totally hot chick?!" I was absoluted stunned, but when I got a good look at the bird creature, I realized that she was more of a woman than a girl judging by her curves.

A modest amount of feathers covered her legs, wings/arms, and just the minimum amount of her oppai, but she looked like a hot girl other than that.

She squeaked. "Mimi can't believe her luck~! Lucky lucky lucky~! Caught 'erself a good mate, she did~!"

Then her words pierced the smart part of my brain.

M-M-Maaaaate?!

I looked down before turning my gaze upward sharply upon realizing that her feathers only barely covered her most womanly part. My face was steaming.

I was even more terrified by the lustful gaze in the girl's eyes. I slipped out of her grip and crawled insect-style to the other side of the nest, not daring to look over the edge.

"N-Now, can't we talk about this!" Hey. I wanted to lose my virginity as much as the next guy, but being raped by a bird-creature is not many guys' fantasy. "I-I mean I don't even know you're name, hehehe!"

The girl tapped her own head with her feathered fist. "Silly me~! Mimi's name is Mimi and Mimi is a Harpy~! Your presence smells nice~! We talked~! Now let's make babies~!" I could've sworn I saw hearts in her eyes as she lunged at me. I rolled out of the way but it was a relatively small nest. I could run around all I wanted. Once the birdbrain remembered she had wings, I was as good as raped.

"NO WAY!"

_...Find me..._

My eyes widened. "What?"

"Baby-making time~!" I ducked the overenergetic attack of the harpy, causing her to go over the edge of the nest. I realized there was no way that it was her who said that.

I sighed. "Great. Now I just gotta figure out a way down from-" Then I saw a snake-like tail coil around me. "-here." Then the snake tail tightened and yanked me over the edge.

"SHIIIIIIIIIIIII-!"

I was certain I was dead AGAIN, but was shocked when I felt two powerful arms wrap around my torso and two soft things press against my back. The end of the snake tail was wrapped around the tree the harpy's nest was in and around a very large branch that could seat several people having a picnic.

It was a BIIIIIG tree.

"Goodie goodie~! I got myself the world's greatest man~!"

"Huh?" I turned and was once again shocked to see the body of a beautiful girl with a larger chest than the harpy. She had long-dark hair and the same lust-filled expression.

"You don't have to speak." She pressed a finger against my lips. "You should know that sex with a lamia is known to be one of the greatest pleasures in this world." She purred it into my ear and I felt myself blush even harder. "On average, it can go on for 24 hours and, for you, I'll-do-all-the-work." She seemed to be counting those last few words.

"That's-er-an interesting proposal, b-but I-"

"Hands off Mimi's man!"

That was when my little harpy 'friend' came swooping in, her talons open to tear something to pieces and an angry expression on her face. The lamia actually HISSED at the harpy as she came in.

"YOUR man?!" With the end of her tail that wasn't wrapped around me, the lamia swung at the harpy, causing her to dodge to the right and throw off her aim. I couldn't help but wheeze a little when the lamia's tail tightened around my torso, slowly beginning to crush my ribs and lungs.

"Can't...we talk...bout this...?" The lamia and harpy ended up grappling with their individual arm appendages, fighting over me.

I still wasn't sure whether or not I was flattered. I was afraid...yet oddly turned on.

The lamia's tail continued getting tighter and tighter.

"Could you...loosen the tail...please?" The lamia paid me no mind as she and the harpy continued their cat fight..snake/bird fight? You know what I mean!

I sighed. "Wanna know what? I wanted to be nice about this, but-" I bent my head forward and opened my mouth...then I bit down hard on the lamia's tail.

With a loud, hissing screech, the lamia's tail completely unraveled from my body. I was about to fist pump until I looked down and remembered the at least fifty foot drop.

Then gravity, the smug jerk, tapped me on the shoulder and asked me how I thought I was gonna stay in the air.

I didn't have an answer.

I fell.

"Oh SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-"

Yet again, I was absolutely positive I was dead...but then I wasn't...again.

Short of hitting the ground, I found myself being caught by a strange net of some sort.

"That was a close one...again." By this point, I was getting bored. I tried sitting up from the net that caught me only to find my arms stuck to it. I frowned. I tugged and tugged, but my arm was firmly stuck to the net. "What the-?" I gave another yank, but my arms remained stuck to the strange webbing...webbing...web. This net was like a...

"Oh shit I'm in a spider web." I realized.

"Oh, husbaaaaand~!"

"We've come to the agreement to share a mating partner!"

I felt even more afraid when I saw the harpy and lamia slithering and flying towards me.

I began to struggle against the web I was stuck in more frantically.

I DON'T WANNA BE RAPED BY TWO MONSTERS!

"Come to Mimi~!"

"I'll make it extra pleasurable for you, hot stuff~!"

I was certain I was as good as raped, but then I couldn't help but notice the humongous shadow that planted itself over my trapped form.

…_I know...you're here..._

I knew I wasn't crazy this time! I had definitely heard that voice in my head and it wasn't Ddraig's.

I would find out where that voice was coming from just as soon as I wasn't in danger of being sexually assaulted.

There was a loud hissing noise much louder than the lamia's from the figure over me.

"_Mine._"

That single word was enough to terrify the approaching lamia and harpy into retreating.

Then parts of the shadow above me began to crawl backwards and I was looking into the vague image of a terrifying face.

I growled. But on the inside I was happy. This was going to be a serious encounter of the deadly variety. That is much more favorable over dangerous encounters with monsters of the sexual variety.

"You wanna fight?!"

Then the hissing voice laughed. "Oh you're adorable." The voice gradually became smoother with each word. It was clearly female. "How much fun it will be to break you~!"

Wait. I recognize that sexually seductive tone.

The figure began to maneuver around the web I was currently glued to until her form was no longer a shadow and illuminated by the night and my Devil vision.

My jaw dropped. She...She...SHE WAS HOT! She was some kind of hot onee-sama/spider hydbrid!

From the waist up was a barely clothed Onee-sama body with huge oppai. The only out-of-the-ordinary thing about her Onee-sama body were the six pupil-less, monochromatic red eyes she had. But they were actually kind of hypnotic in a way. From the waist down she was a massive spider.

I didn't respond. I closed my eyes, focusing on breaking from my prison. I COULD try summoning Blade Genesis, but the moment I did, this spider-Onee-sama could probably cut my throat out.

"Now, I don't care much for Devils or humans," She said in an annoyed voice, "but you seem interesting." From her sexual undertone, I had the distinct feeling I knew where this was going.

I just continued struggling furiously against the web.

I turned away, flinching slightly as the spider lady gently petted the right side of my face.

"Shhh. Don't worry. Whatever stories you've heard about Arachne and how rough they are in bed..." She leaned in and whispered in my ear. "They're absolutely true."

Why does it feel like I've entered a pattern?

I swallowed hard, my face becoming pale. Then my struggling became even more fierce.

I figured out how a fly or other insect feels like when they get trapped by a spider. The difference between me and them, I'm pretty sure I'm going to be tortured through S&amp;M.

"Now now. I don't want you to waste all of your energy just yet." I felt myself blush as the spider lady licked her tongue upwards across the right side of my face. "It'll make everything else boring if you do."

I closed my eyes, praying mentally to the voice. If she could speak to me, then maybe I could talk back to her.

Alright. Voice. I don't know who you are...but whatever you are, you have to be better than spider S&amp;M torture so I would appreciate some help.

_My chosen one...Master..._

"Now where to star-" The spider woman was cut short by a new, powerful noise.

It wasn't any normal hissing or howl.

This was a screeching roar.

The Arachne tensed. All six of her eyes widened in terror. She clearly recognized this noise.

She was gone in a flash, leaving me all by my lonesome. "Well that was...sudden. Now how do I-?"

_HIIIISSSSSSSSS!_

The sound was much closer than it had been before, only distinguishable as a powerful hissing noise again. Much more powerful than that of the lamia and much larger-sounding.

The ground began to shake, the vibrating traveling up into the two trees the web was connected to and then into the web, causing me to swing back and forth as the vibrations grew stronger and stronger. The presence causing these earthquake-like tremors.

Maybe this time it would be a serious fight rather than another being trying to assault me sexually.

Please, God (OW!), Maou, whoever! Please don't let this be another sexually invasive monster!

That was when I noticed that the noise had stopped as did the tremors.

"...is it gone?" I then felt something wet splash against my forehead.

I looked up to see the open mouth of a creature.

Something big. Another drop of its saliva splashed against my head.

Shit.

* * *

**Asia's POV...**

Buchou had put our search for familiars on hold ever since Shirou-san was abducted by what Buchou told me was a harpy.

She said he could handle himself until we found him, but I still felt nervous.

Satooji-san, who was guiding us through the forest, said that there were several creatures in this forest that were on the level of Maou-sama, but that they would ignore Shirou-san..._probably_. He was showing us where the harpies usually nest.

Please be okay, Shirou-san...

I attempted to pray to God to keep him safe, but I received a sharp shock. Buchou reminded me that, as a Devil, I couldn't pray. I was sad about that, but I'm still glad that I can be friends with Shirou-san.

_HIIIIIISSSSS_

Everyone tensed at the loud hissing noise. I almost screamed from surprise, but Buchou placed a calm hand on my shoulder, so I remained quiet.

Buchou turned to Satooji-san. "What was that?"

Satooji-san scratched his head. "If it's what I think it is, then your servant may be one special guy."

I wasn't sure whether or not that was a good thing.

"_GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"_

My eyes widened in shock. "Shirou-san!" My ears weren't fooling me. That was Shirou-san's scream!

I started running.

"Asia-chan!" Buchou called after me, but I was already far from her reach. Shirou-san was in danger and I had to-

"Hold on, Asia-chan." Yuuto suddenly appeared in front of me, preventing me from moving further. "You can't just run ahead of everyone else. We're going after Shirou-kun together."

I felt tears well up in my eyes, but I knew Yuuto was right.

I wanted to run towards Shirou-san with all of my might, but even if I found him, I wasn't strong like he was.

"Let's take this slowly, Asia-chan." Buchou said to me after catching up. Quickly drying my tears, I nodded. I knew Buchou would never let anything bad happen to Shirou-san. Buchou was strong just like him and just as nice.

"_HOW ABOUT THAT!? WANT SOME MORE?!"_

Shirou-san wasn't screaming anymore. He sounded like he was fighting back against whatever was attacking him.

Moving more quickly, our group started heading in the direction of Shirou-san's shouts and screams.

We passed through one more clearing, moving aside some of the brush that blocked our view.

I was very afraid of the sight I saw.

It was Shirou-san! But that's not what was scary. It was the creature coiled around Shirou-san.

It was a giant SNAKE!

It was probably as long as a gymnasium and as large as a park bench. Its body was violet-pinkish in color and very fearsome. And it was coiled around Shirou-san with its mouth open.

Eeek! It was going to eat him!

I turned to Buchou who had apparently recovered faster than I did.

"Yuuto!"

Yuuto nodded. "Right." He ran ahead of us, getting to the giant serpent in a matter of seconds. He had a sword in his hand. "Shirou-kun!"

Shirou-san turned several seconds before Yuuto charged at the creature, sword ready to strike. He reached the snake and swung his blade forward...

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, KIBA?!" Shirou-san leaped from his captor(?) and met Yuuto's own attack, punching Buchou's [Knight] right in the face. The surprised Yuuto was sent flying and rolling several feet away.

Everyone stared at Shirou-san's angry expression. He turned to us, his anger changing into confusion when he noticed the looks on our faces.

"What?" He continued staring at us, somewhat annoyed. "What?!" The giant snake behind him hissed at our group with hostility.

"Kyaaa!" I screamed. Buchou stepped in front of me defensively. Yuuto was back on his feet, sword drawn.

"Whoa whoa! Hold on for a sec!" Shirou-san waved his arms, attempting to calm everyone down. He then turned around and faced the snake who flicked its tongue at Shirou and hissed. "Calm down, Sakura! It's okay. These guys are friend-For Maou's sake, Kiba! Put down the goddamned sword!" Shirou-san pointed at the still dazed Yuuto who reluctantly lowered his weapon. Shirou-san turned back to the serpent and walked up to it before slowly beginning to rub some of its exposed underside. "These guys are friendly, Sakura. Even that stupid prince." He then began to rub the snake, Sakura as Shirou-san had called it, much more energetically with a smile on his face. "Who's a good girl?! Who's a good girl?! You are! You're a good girl!" The snake fell to the ground, exposing more of its underside as Shirou-san petted it like some sort of housepet.

It acted as such, too. The snake seemed to smile somewhat and stick its tongue out as Shirou-san petted it. Its tail somewhat flicked back and forth slightly across the ground, seeming to enjoy Shirou-san's attention.

It was so beautiful! No wonder Shirou-san is so close to it!

After a few minutes, Shirou-san stopped and turned back to us and our still-surprised expressions.

"What?"

Buchou was the first to regain her voice. "We thought that the snake-"

"Sakura." Shirou-san corrected.

"We thought that _Sakura_ had been attacking you because of your shouts from earlier." Buchou explained.

Shirou-san's expression became filled with understanding. "OOOOH! No no no. That wasn't Sakura attacking me earlier. We were just playing around." Shirou-san then seemed to remember something. "Oh yeah. Proper introductions are in order." Shirou-san looked back at Sakura. "Sakura, these guys over here are my friends. The boss lady over there is Buchou." Shirou-san then turned to Buchou. "Buchou, this is Sakura, my familiar."

* * *

**Shirou's POV...**

Ah. It really made sense why that stupid prince had jumped in and tried to attack Sakura-chan. I'm still pissed at him for trying to attack her, but I get how much of a misunderstanding it may have been, but nobody hurts my precious lil Sakura-chan!

"So that's what happened after the harpy took you..." Buchou noted.

I nodded. "Yeah. And that reminds me: WHERE THE HELL WERE YOU GUYS?! What were you doing exactly when I was about to be sexually violated by a bird girl, lamia, and an S&amp;M spider-Onee-sama!?"

Yeah I was still pissed about that! Hey, in erogames, it's a guy's wet dream to be targeted for sex by hot monster chicks, but it's not funny in real life! I'm not a fan of violation.

"So you managed to tame the Great Snake all on your own, huh?" Satooji asked, slightly impressed.

I raised an eyebrow. "'Great Snake'?" I looked at Sakura, the adorable violet snake who was looking back and forth between me and the others like a cute child.

Satooji nodded. "Yep. It's a rare for them to ever come out in the open for anyone and even rarer for them to be tamed by someone." Satooji gave me a thumbs up. "You yourself may be on your way to becoming a Familiar Master if you are able to catch such a rare familiar so easily."

Seriously! I KNOW something is being referenced here, but I can't think of it for the life of me!

Buchou gave me a nod of approval, smiling slightly. "You are quite an impressive servant, Shirou."

I grinned at Buchou's praise. "It was nothing." I then turned towards Sakura. "It really wasn't though. I mean, I didn't find her. Rather, it was like she was calling out to me. Like she wanted me to meet her. She even saved me from the S&amp;M spider-onee-sama." Sakura nuzzled against me like a pet. I patted her gently on the head. "And so I decided to make her my familiar!"

_Master...promised..._

"Huh?" I stared in confusion at Sakura. For a brief moment, I could see a strange look of sadness in her eyes. I had long since figured out that it was Sakura's voice, speaking to me due to the bond between potential familiar and master, but I couldn't figure out the meaning behind her words.

"Something wrong, Shirou-kun?" Akeno-san asked me. I quickly shook my head.

"Anywho, I've chosen my familiar." I turned to Buchou. "What next?"

Buchou walked closer to me and went into detailed explanation on what I have to do.

…...

One ritual preparation later I was finishing the rest of the familiar-binding spell Buchou instructed me to cast.

I had opened a light-blue colored magic circle in front of everybody. It had taken some doing, but we managed to get Sakura's body to fit right in the center of the circle.

"In my name, Shirou Fujimura, I order you!" I spoke proudly and confidently. "You shall become my familiar and respond to my contract!" The light poured out all around Sakura before eventually fading away. I could feel the powerful new bond that had formed between us. I looked back to the others who had been watching the ritual with interest. "What are you looking at? Well? Don't we still have one more familiar to find?"

* * *

"So a Sprite Dragon, huh?" I wanted to confirm was Satooji was saying.

He nodded. "Yeah, the Sprite Dragon. Just like its name, it's a dragon which uses blue lightning."

I scratched my chin. We were on our way to find another possibly familiar for Asia. Sakura had taken a serious liking to me and slithered across the ground, following us like some sort of rear guard, hissing at any more-than-hostile creatures that wandered our way.

What a good familiar she is~!

The reason I was discussing Asia's familiar in her place was because I wanted to make sure she got a strong one. I wanted to make sure that Asia had something strong to protect her when I'm not around.

"Is it really strong?" We were chasing after one of said Sprite Dragons after it had passed us by.

Satooji smiled. "Apparently it's still a baby. If you are going to catch it, now is the time. You would definitely not be able to catch it once it matures. It won't be as strong as Dragon-Kings, but it's placed in the Top-tier classes for dragons."

Sounds strong. It would probably be a good idea to catch it. Even if it starts out young, it would still be someday strong enough to protect Asia. I suppose that's just about all that matters. Something to protect Asia when I'm not around.

But there's a possibility of catching that could be strong in a shorter amount of time...

"OWA!" And just like that, the annoying Satooji knocked me out of my thoughts. I turned to see what got his attention and was surprised to see something with beautiful blue scales. It was a dragon-like creature somewhere around the size of an eagle.

"Sprite Dragon! That is it!" Satooji seemed to be extremely excited. I guess they were really that rare.

I had to admit it was cool...kinda cute too. So small and adorable...

I shook my head. I looked back at Sakura who appeared to be eying birds or something and remembered that I already had a familiar.

"Sprite Dragon. It is also my first time seeing one. What beautiful scales. It's glowing in blue just like a blue diamond." Buchou sounded deeply moved. I could understand her reaction. Mine was somewhat similar.

Cute and easily tamed as a child. Soon-to-be powerful. It's rare as well. Yep. This is definitely the familiar for Asia.

You are going to make an excellent guardian for sweet, lovable Asia!

Then my instincts kicked in. "Asia!" I quickly grabbed the former nun and pulled her out of the way just as some weird sticky thing fell from the sky. "Everyone move!" I held Asia gently in my hands before setting her down. More and more sticky-looking green things fell from the trees above.

Are those things alive?!

"A slime." Kiba stated.

Like from a game...wait...In my mind, there are two versions of slime.

There's the usual slime that dissolves people and and melts them into nothingness with poison.

And then there's-

"My c-clothes… are melting!" I turned around to see Asia and was shocked to see more of that green stuff on her, melting her school uniform.

Yep. It's like erogame slime.

Not just Asia's, but everyone's clothing was melting.

Blood suddenly spurted from my nose like a geyser.

That slime...it was...it was violating Asia's and the others bodies and clothes...violating Asia...

Something snapped inside me and everything faded into a blanket dark-red.

"WAHA! YOU PERVY PREDATOR SLIME!" I remember only vague things in my broken rage.

NOBODY touches Asia's purity! Not even the surface of her skin!

I remember some weird tentacle things shooting out at some point, but I can't remember what happened to them. I'm pretty sure things did not turn out well for the tentacles.

I was roaring at the top of my lungs, but I couldn't quite remember what happened.

When the red faded away and allowed my normal vision to return, I was standing in front of a small lake with a large clump of slime gathered between both of my hands.

"DROWN!" Then I threw the whole lot of it into the lake with a final roar. All of the slime wobbled as it slowly dissipated into the water. I huffed and puffed, having recovered from my broken rage.

After several seconds had passed, I realized I had no idea where I was. I blinked. I turned around to face the others.

"What just happened?" My head hurt a little.

"That's what I'd like to know..." I turned towards Buchou's slightly surprised voice and quickly averted my gaze upwards.

Everyone's gaze was directed towards me, but that's not why I was blushing red.

No. It was because all of the girls were very nearly naked. Their student uniforms were almost entirely melted and revealing much of their underwear underneath. Even some of the underwear was partially melted, but still whole enough to protect at least some of their modesty. It looked more like some creature had eaten small holes in most of their clothing.

Koneko-chan's face was especially red and annoyed. She was covering her lower parts, having some of her underwear melted between her legs.

Kiba scratched his head nervously, also avoiding looking at the girls, the gentlemanly prince he was. "Well...you started yelling, tearing the slime from all of the girls' clothes..." I felt my face heat up to unbelievable levels.

If...If I had torn all of the slime away from them...then...to physically do such a thing...

All of the girl's faces were slightly red at least. Especially Asia.

AAAAAHHH! ASIA! How could I do such a thing?!

That was when Koneko-chan walked up to me and-

"...P-Pervert!" She kicked right between my legs and I went down, not even able to scream in pain as my man parts felt like it was hit with enough force to prevent me from ever reproducing...EVER.

"Sorry..." I groaned. "...I am so sorry..."

Buchou cleared her throat. "W-Well...Y-You prevented a fair bit of damage. At least it didn't finish the j-job thanks to you." Oh, Buchou, I am so sorryyyyy.

I turned towards Koneko-chan and smashed my head against the ground. "I am so very sorry for touching your-"

"Only around the torso." Kiba quickly whispered to me.

I felt a huge weight lift off my chest as I released a deep breath, standing up. "Oh thank Maou. For a second, I really thought I had touched your-"

There was a large intake of breath.

I blinked. "What? I was just gonna say-"

Then I realized that the others weren't staring at me, but rather at something much larger behind me.

I sighed. "I'm not gonna like what I see behind me, am I?" I sighed before I turned around. "Nope."

And then I was swallowed by a humongous slime.

* * *

**Kiba's POV...**

I was truly shocked.

While Shirou-kun was recovering from having thought he had touched 'more private' areas on the girl's bodies, he had been swallowed.

Despite my previous thoughts that it had indeed been destroyed and dissolved by the lake, the slime had instead somehow grown into one humongous creature, about the size of a small building. It extended a huge tentacle-like appendage and just swallowed Shirou-kun and took it into the main body.

"He really shouldn't have done that." I turned to see a slightly red Satooji-san (no doubt having looked upon the girls' practically naked forms), staring intently at the now-enlarged slime. "Slimes are known to grow in water by taking it in and merging separate slime bodies together in small bodies of water.. With the extra body mass it's taken, it now has actual intelligence."

"So why did it attack Shirou?" Buchou asked the Familiar Master in training. She seemed to have recovered quickly even after Shirou-kun had removed the slime from her body with his own hands.

Speaking of Shirou-kun...

I looked back to the giant slime. He was inside the center and seemed to have realized what had happened. The slime apparently had no interest in his clothes, but Shirou-kun was still thrashing around inside, no doubt very angry.

Satooji-san took off his cap and scratched his head. "Well, like I said. The slime has intelligence now. I think it might have a grudge after he tried to destroy it. It's not ENTIRELY uncommon for slimes to grow and become new, slightly more intelligent beings."

Behind us, the Great Snake, Sakura (as Shirou-kun had named her), hissed violently, seeming to glare daggers at the creature that had swallowed her master. It was honestly shocking how quickly she had become attached to him.

"I DON'T GIVE A DAMN IF IT HAS A BRAIN NOW!" I turned in surprise back to the slime. Shirou-kun had his arms crossed and an annoyed expression on his face. Apparently he could still hear us even inside the slime. "I'm gonna cut this bastard to pieces!" He then summoned his Sacred Gear, Blade Genesis, from inside the slime. "Alright! Let's try a good ol' fashioned claymore!" Shirou-kun closed his eyes, as if focusing.

I was surprised when a long, two-handed sword did indeed suddenly appear in his hands.

I felt a little happy to know there was another sword-creator in Buchou's Peerage.

Shirou-kun then began to rapidly swing the sword from inside the slime. "YEAH! How 'bout that?! And that!?" But it was clear to any observer that his swings were doing nothing but mixing around the insides of the slime, not even piercing through the outside. He was unable to move from his fixed position. He growled in annoyance. He turned back to us. "Can one of you get me out of here?!"

Akeno-san placed a hand on her face and smiled calmly. "I could always unleash thunder on it until it's burnt and dead."

I laughed somewhat awkwardly, a chill rolling down my spine at Akeno-san's 'S' smile. "T-That might work." Or quite possibly kill Shirou-kun if she went overboard which she very well may.

Shirou-kun sighed. "I really don't care. I'm willing to try whatever. Just-E-Eh?" Shirou-kun froze, eyes wide. I was about to ask what was wrong when his face turned a deep shade of red (or a greenish red because of the layers of slime around him). Then he screamed. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

"Shirou-san!" Asia-chan called out, worried.

Shirou-kun thrashed around, his sword being dissolved by the slime.

I blinked. "Huh? It...It just completely dissolved Shirou-kun's sword!"

Buchou frowned at the move as well, confused as to why Shirou-kun was screaming. Buchou once again turned to Satooji-san.

"What does it mean? If it wanted to attack Shirou, why not just do it?"

"PLEASE GET ME OUUUUT!" Shirou-kun continued thrashing around before eventually crossing his legs and shielding his 'man spot' with his hands against some unknown threat...

Oh Maou I think I've figure it out...

Satooji-san snapped his fingers, having realized something. "Well, like most species, slimes reproduce. In some slimes, depending on how high their instinct or intelligence is, they may have a desire or urge to grow and enlarge to their mother slime's size by evolving. To do this, the more intelligent slimes find a MALE target to 'feed' off of and-"

"No no! I get it!" Buchou blinked several times, blushing slightly, having finally realized what was going on with her [Pawn].

Poor Shirou-kun. A slime attempting to milk him like a cow. Ironically it was his attempt to destroy it that led to this.

"SOMEBODY KILL THIS PERVERTED SLUDGE!" Shirou-kun once again begged. He may have moaned slightly, but it may have been my imagination. "AH! THIS WAS MUCH FUNNIER IN MONSTER GIRL QUEST!"

I couldn't help but wonder how he was still breathing.

"KANSHOU! BAKUYA! SAVE MEEEEE!" The white-haired teen then summoned two swords, black and white, and began slashing like crazy, attempting to defeat the thing that was...er...He was trying to kill the slime.

"...Karma." Koneko-chan said harshly in response to Shirou-kun's situation, still covering her lower parts. I may have exaggerated on what I said to him earlier. He came CLOSE to 'that part' on Koneko-chan despite how much I avoided looking. But I could tell she was mildly worried about her kouhai in Devil-terms.

Once again, Shirou-kun's swords were devoured by the slime.

"GAAAAH! I DON'T CARE HOW, JUST KILL THIS THING!" Satooji-san seemed uncertain.

"Well I've never actually seen a slime in this situation before. But at some point the slime will be finished defeating its prey and extracting a 'sample'. After that point, I'd say your friend is lunch."

Such a shocking thing that was just said!

Buchou seemed uncertain. "If we try any serious attack, then we might hit Shirou and seriously injure him."

"I DON'T CARE! THIS IS ALREADY A FATE WORSE THAN DEEEEAAAATH!"

_HIIIISSSSSSSSS_

We were all shocked when Sakura lunged forward and...Eh?

She bit out a large piece of the center of the slime...and Shirou-kun along with it.

We all ended up in serious shock.

Shirou-kun's familiar just...devoured him. Sakura quickly returned behind us.

Well...her master can be retrieved in a few moments. For now we had to focus on-

SHOCK SHOCK SHOCK SHOCK SHOCK SHOCK SHOCK

Blue lightning was shot at the slime, electricuting its entire body. And in a few seconds it was burnt to a crisp...

In a few seconds it was over. It was shockingly fast...That pun was an accident.

But what was...

We all turned to the nearby floating Sprite Dragon who appeared to have electrocuted that larger slime with its power.

I felt relieved that it wasn't me deep down.

"Sprite Dragons only give electric damage to those who they acknowledge as their enemies. So it must have thought that the Gremory group wasn't its enemies."

I turned and was shocked to see that Satooji-san was burnt black beside me. Eh?

I looked down at myself and realized that didn't have a scratch. It was one thing to hit the slime, but why did it only attack Satooji-san?

"Looks like it eliminated the slime that appeared to be attacking Asia. Maybe this dragon is a male. I heard that male dragons will also take a liking to females from other races...but it's strange. It should've attacked all other males in the vicinity. It was like something was giving it ord-" We all then noticed that the Sprite Dragon seemed to be shaking in fear of something on the ground, lowering its head to...Sakura?

The giant, violet serpent appeared to be glaring at the smaller reptile. The glare suddenly vanished, turning into a more satisfied expression (if snakes could have expressions).

The Sprite Dragon quickly leaped into the air into flew straight into Asia's arms, still quivering in fear.

I guess it's chosen Asia as its master.

But why was he staring at Sakura? It was like...she was ordering him around?

Wait.

Shirou was still in said serpents stomach or possibly throat.

Buchou turned towards Sakura, a cold expression on her face. There was no doubt in my mind that she was prepared to order its destruction "Since you're still Shirou's familiar, I'll give you one chance to-"

Sakura's body trembled slightly as she opened her mouth. She coughed, seemingly gagging once before spitting up one huge object onto the ground before us. It was difficult to see the object at first because it was coated in a strange mucus-like substance, but said object suddenly began to tremble before sitting in an upright position.

Said object then began to use arm-like appendages to wipe the mucus-like substance from its body, revealing a familiar, white-haired boy.

Shirou-kun trembled, spitting up a mixture of slime and mucus, gagging slightly. "I-I...I f-feel so violated..." He curled up into a ball and began to rock back and forth. "...in so many ways..."

I couldn't help but wonder how bad the things the slime did to him were...

Poor Shirou-kun. I placed on a hand on his shoulder and-

"DON'T TOUCH ME, STUPID PRIIIIINCE!"

And just like that, he's back.

* * *

**Shirou's POV...**

I was still shivering, not from the memories of my violation at the hands of that retched slime, but because it was freezing. My entire body, clothes included, was soaked to the bone by a mixture of slime residue and Sakura's saliva and the wind was blowing against my drenched body.

It was freezing! I managed to wipe a lot of it off and pet Sakura for saving me (mostly), but my clothes were still wet.

I sighed, glad that Asia had just finished the ritual binding the Sprite Dragon as her familiar. I had to give it some sort of treat later for putting an end to that terrible, terrible slime...but he seemed to be scared of me for one reason or another. I also noticed that Sakura sometimes appeared to be giving him dangerous looks. He took to simply quivering in Asia's arms, said girl comforting him like the saint she was.

Asia had apparently decided to call him Rairou. Personally, I thought the name wasn't very tasteful, but when Asia said it ws because she used the last part of my name, I felt a gut punch to the heart from Asia's cuteness.

…_Master...safe..._

I sighed. "Yeah. I'm safe." I smiled, patting Sakura tiredly on the head. "You were very good, Sakura."

"I'm glad you are okay, Shirou-san." Asia said happily with a smile. I scratched my head.

'Okay' wouldn't be the word I'd use to describe how I'm feeling.

I turned to Buchou, a clearly tired expression on my face. "Please...for the love of Maou...can we go home so I can wash this crap off of me?"

Buchou nodded, apparently no longer upset at all over my blind rage the first time against the slime.

She prepared the spell once again, but before we could go, I felt myself being bumped forward by something.

I turned to see Sakura staring expectantly at me. I would ask Satooji what this meant, but he had gone and vanished, the damn Pokemon rip-off art-POKEMON! THAT was what I felt was being referenced!

Yeah! I finally got it!

Anyway, I had no idea what Sakura was trying to tell me.

"Is something wrong?" Buchou asked me, not being able to complete the teleportation spell because of Sakura's interference.

"She doesn't want Shirou-san to go." Asia said, a sad expression on her face. "Her eyes told me so."

I shot her a curious look before I turned to Sakura and stared into her eyes.

_...Don't go...master..._

Woah. Asia totally called it.

I then smirked to myself. "Well I see no reason why Sakura-chan can't come with us~! What say I take you home, Sakura?"

The violet serpent perked up and actually seemed to wag her tail.

"H-Hold on, Shirou." Buchou interjected. "It'd be one thing to bring Asia's Sprite Dragon or something smaller, but it'd be difficult to personally care for something huge like Sakura-chan."

I held out my hands in front of me, begging. "Oh pleeeeeeeaaaaase, Buchou?! I'll feed her, I'll wash her, I'll even clean her litter box!"

OK even I admit that last part was kind of stupid.

I got onto my knees. "Pleeeeassee, Buchou? How can you look into her adorable eyes and reject Sakura?" Buchou turned to Sakura who appeared to be doing her damned best to give a sort of puppy-dog eyes look.

"Sakura really wants to come with us, Buchou." See? Asia's on my side, too!

Buchou still shook her head. "No. She is too large to care for in your home, so unless she can shrink down to the size of a human being, then-"

POOF!

There was a large explosion of smoke that quickly covered the area.

Everyone began to cough quite a bit as we were enveloped by the large amount of smoke.

"Now can I come?"

I blinked, sweating slightly. "Eh? I'm not the only one who heard that, right?" I turned to Kiba who had managed to swat off most of the smoke.

"I heard it too."

"I did as well." Buchou agreed.

"But who was it?" Asia asked, curiously. That was what I wanted to know. The voice sounded familiar...but it couldn't be...

Could it?

Gradually, the smoke cleared entirely revealing all seven of us and Sakura missing...Wait.

Seven?

I turned towards a figure I could've sworn wasn't there before. Then a large geyser of blood spewed out of my nose.

It was a girl. A NAKED girl! And she was HOT!

"Um...Master?"

My jaw dropped not only from her nakedness, but also from her appearance.

She had long, violet hair and the same colored eyes except without pupils. Her body appeared to be that of a girl around my age and...her oppai were beautiful!

She may not have been an Onee-sama, but she was definitely hot!

"Holy shit, it's Sakura Matou!" Those were the first words out of my mouth, and with everyone's gaze on me, I felt stupid for saying them. But it was true!

She looked exactly like Sakura Matou from Fate/Stay Night! Her naked form was just like that of Sakura during the Heavens Feel route's H-scene in the visual novel!

The Sakura Matou-lookalike took a step towards me and I raised my arms in case a fight broke out.

The lookalike had a sad and hurt expression. "Master, why do you look so mad? Did I do something wrong?"

I lowered my arms, a confused expression on my face. I looked at Kiba who only shrugged, just as confused as I was...Stupid prince...

I took a careful step towards the girl. "Just...who ARE you?"

The lookalike looked even more hurt than before and I felt like I just beat a puppy. A cute. Adorable. Puppy...with a cold.

"Why don't you recognize me, master? After you..." She blushed lightly, gesturing to her bare torso that I did my best to avoid looking at. "...after you touched me so passionately..."

"...Perverted jerk." I felt a figurative arrow pierce my chest at Koneko-chan's scathing remark.

But it was then that realization sparked in my head. "N-No way...S-Sakura?...I-is that you?"

Sakura blushed more deeply. "..." I took her embarrassed silence as an answer.

"WHAAAAAAT?! Y-You're human! A-And you're hoooooot!" Sakura's face became even redder, almost matching my own red face. I quickly ran over to Buchou and whispered quietly. "Quick, Buchou. What do I do now?!" Before I could get a response, I felt two soft 'objects' press against my back. "EEP!"

I was trembling again. Good news: This really helped soothe my trauma from earlier.

"Can I...can I really go home with master?" Sakura asked shyly, burying her face into my back.

DAMN IT! She's too cute!

I looked to Buchou for guidance. I was relieved of the pressure from my back when Asia grabbed Sakura's hands in her own.

"If you are coming back with us, then you are quite lucky to have a master like Shirou, Sakura-chan!" Asia said cheerfully. She was happy to be getting another friend apparently.

Buchou seemed tired. "Very well." She rubbed her temples. "I cannot go back on my word. She is the size of a normal human being so..."

I fist pumped, flinging a bit of snake saliva into the air. I groaned, remembering the nasty substance that covered me. I then remembered it was Sakura's saliva...I was in Sakura's mouth...

AAH! It's so much worse thinking that thought when I look at Sakura's new form!

I sighed. "Alright, Sakura. Let's go home, I guess."

"YAAAY!" Sakura slammed into my chest, wrapping her arms around me. For a brief moment, I could've sworn I saw tears in her eyes. "..to be going home with master...I'm so happy..."

I felt myself blush deeply. "A-Alright then. B-But it's not like I-I'm letting you come because I c-care about you or anything." I looked away, trying to look mad. Everyone, even Koneko-chan was smiling just a little bit.

"You really are tsun-"

"SHUT IT! I'm not tsundere, DAMMIIIIIT!"

* * *

**Fujimura Residence...**

I sighed, letting the warm water of the shower wash away all of the troubles I had gone through in the past few hours.

I let what was left of the slime residue off of my body.

Thanks to Buchou's memory manipulation, Mako-nee believed that Sakura was a cousin visiting after studying for several years abroad and who would be living with us for a long while.

Buchou had dressed Sakura before we got home though. Otherwise it would've been an awkward conversation to explain her nakedness even WITH memory manipulation.

I questioned why the creatures of the familiar forest attacked me as they did. Sakura explained to me that it's because I had a 'special aura'. Well I didn't exactly FEEL special...

I was just so tired...I still shivered at the memories of that bastard slime...Next time I saw slime in an RPG, I was going to burn it to ashes.

But really. It was an eventful day. I got a Sakura Matou-lookalike for a familiar who could also shapeshift into a giant snake.

All in all, as long as I someday forget my trauma of what happened and never saw another slime ever again, I would be golden.

Something funny though...I don't remember filling the bathtub with water...

I blinked. I also didn't remember putting something that bulged out of the surface of the water in the bathtub.

I also don't remember putting anything in there that would make the water grow out of the tub and take on a humanoid form, molding as if it was made out of something soft like sliiiiiiiiiiiiiiii...

I paled incredibly. "S-S-S-SLIIIIIIME!" I screa-I mean YELLED. I quickly shielded my manhood and prepared to summon my Sacred Gear. If I was going down, I was going down swinging. If I was going to be violated, I would kill myself before the slime had the chance.

The slime itself began to mold itself into a more feminine form...

It was overall a large mass of a transparent blue gelatinous slime. It was apparently going into detail as well. It formed a mass of green "hair" with three yellow "antenna" on the tips. It seemed to absorb some of the water from the tub and crawled out, forming legs behind it. But that wasn't was surprised me.

Its form became more and more feminine, becoming small when it came to oppai but still admittedly cute.

I crawled backwards, still naked before grabbing the towel I had by the sink and covering myself. I flattened myself against the wall. "N-No...NO! You got killed! I saw you! YOU GOT FRIED BY THAT SPRITE DRAGON!" The slime didn't stop her approach and I felt like I was gonna die.

She stopped right in front of me, on her knees. She had a curious expression on her face.

Almost child-like...and just as cute...

"DAMN SLIMEY GIIIIRL! Don't stare at me with such puppy dog eyes!" I swung my hand at her, only for it to completely phase through her gelatinous body. I paled even more. "B-B-BUCHOOOOU!"

* * *

It took some doing, but I managed to get everyone to the house after I hurriedly got dressed, introducing them to the resurrected slime.

Sakura, still in human form and clothed in the girls' student uniform, glared at the slime who just played around the bathroom, sniffing the soap by the sink before eating it. I could see it as it dissolved in her insides.

"It's different in form," Sakura decided. She stuck out her tongue for a second before putting it back in her mouth. "But it smells just like the slime you met back in the Familiar Forest."

"W-What?! But how?!" I asked, exasperated. "Why isn't it dead?!" The slime girl walked over to the bathtup and stuck two of her yellow antennae into the water, drinking it up like she was using straws.

Sakura raised her hand shyly. "W-Well...a piece of the slime may have latched onto you and grew while you were bathing...the water must've made it grow to a much larger size..."

"WHAAAAT?!"

"Calm down, Shirou." Buchou said calmly.

"Calm down? CALM DOWN!? T-Th-That...THING violated me sexually! So it's cool if I kill it now, right?" I then began gesturing frantically. "I mean, REMEMBER what it did to you girls?!"

Buchou pondered this. "True...but now it's sentient and has a form of true life. So it's a different issue now."

"What issue?! I cut her up into pieces and it's done! Simple!" I turned to Asia. "You're with me on this, right, Asia?!"

That was when I noticed the slime girl crawl over to me like a baby and tug on my pants leg. I glared at her, but she stared at me innocently.

"Master?"

I jerked back, as if punched before falling to all fours in front of the clearly confused slime girl.

"Dammit...it's too cute..."

Buchou smiled slightly. "It apparently evolved after..." Her smile faded. There was a long silence, nobody DARING to bring up that memory again. "...anyway. Since it was you who it was...'involved with', it's apparently developed an attachment to you, Shirou."

I quickly jumped to my feet, slowly mimicked by said slime girl. "Alright, you!" I pointed at her. "You're pretty damn cute, but give me one reason. Just a single reason to kill you..."

She continued staring at me. "I'm attached to master." Her voice changed rapidly and I could tell she had been mimicking various words in a way that it formed a complete sentence.

I fell to all fours again. "OK, you win. You're forgiven. You can stay..."

And that was that. Buchou and the others couldn't find it in themselves to kill her either.

And that was the story of how I gained two familiars in one day.

One being the demonic shapeshifting Great Snake, Sakura, and the other being the slime girl whom I would come to call "Suu"...

****That dragged on for much longer than I planned. Yep. In one go, I gave Shirou two familiars. One was Sakura-chan~! And the other was a girl I totally ripped off from another manga I read, the familiar being called 'Suu'...****

****Thanks for the reads and reviews~!****

****Bye-Bye~!****


	11. Chapter 10: Love Will Bloom!

**Mmkay~! This is the last filler, I swear! After this, we'll get the show on the road with volume 2 of the Light Novel and the second story arc of the anime and manga...The light novels can be hard to read since they aren't descriptive with the surroundings, but it's much better than simply waiting for the anime and manga to catch up.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except OC's.**

**Chapter 10:**

**Love Will Bloom!**

Well, there was no way in Hell I wanted to go to science class.

Why? Science is boring and it all seems invalid now that I know the supernatural exists. I mean...

The Big Bang is no longer a valid theory of the universe's creation now that I KNOW God exists. And ever since I've become a Devil, I've learned many other things that I thought of as scientific phenoemon before are actually products of experimentation, magical misuse, and tons of other BS I don't remember or care about.

And I'm a Devil. I won't need to know some of this stuff for the future because I'll be spending the rest of my incredibly long life as Buchou's servant.

Why I was going anyway?...Well a new friend was being introduced to the class.

And by friend, I mean-

"Class, today we have a student transferring from England." The teacher announced. He then read something off of a clipboard. "She was born in Japan, but she hasn't been back for a while, so I'd appreciate you helping her readjust. Come in, Madarame."

I propped my head up with my arm as a familiar, violet-haired girl walked through the classroom door.

She wore the girl's school uniform, but she's the same Sakura-chan I had tamed in the Familiar Forest only a few days ago.

My Great Snake familiar, in human form, turned towards the rest of the class and smiled.

"Good morning," she said shyly. "My name's Sakura Madarame. I'm a transfer from England and I'm also the cousin of Shirou-sama. P-Please take care of me."

I winced, noticing she had called me 'Shirou-sama' despite the fact I specifically told her not to.

Sakura then placed her hands over her mouth and stared at me with remorse on her face. She quickly ran over to my side and got on her knees, her hands in a pose as if she was begging.

"I'm so sorry, Shirou-sama! I forgot you told me not to call you 'Shirou-sama'! Please forgive me!" She then stood and wrapped her arms around me, smothering my face with her impressive bust.

Part of me wanted to break away and spare what little dignity I had left, but the other part just wanted to nuzzle into her chest pillows and take a nice nap, rubbing my face against them every now and then. I quickly got rid of my blissful smile when I realized everyone's eyes were on me and Sakura.

They started whispering among themselves.

"Why is it whenever there's a new transfer girl who's hot, she always has some connection to Fujimura?"

"No no no! The Demon King of Kuoh can't possibly have a relationship with her! She's his cousin!"

"This is Shirou-sama! He's able to have Akeno-Oneesama, Rias-Oneesama, and Asia-chan all at the same time!"

"You don't think-?"

"She already calls him 'Shirou-sama' just like us!"

Then one of the braver idiots shouted aloud. "What exactly is your relationship with Shirou-sama?!"

Sakura released me and took a step back, covering her mouth with her sleeve, blushing slightly.

"Shirou-sama touched me so passionately...when we first met a long time ago, he spoke so kindly to me. When we met again a few days ago, he embraced me and asked me to stay with him forever..."

"That's not what happened at all!" I shouted, my face red. "Don't say such things that will cause huge misunderstandings!"

One girl sobbed. "I'm soooo jealous, but it's so romantic!"

"That's why Shirou-sama is never chasing after me! He keeps it in the family!"

I growled. "NO I DON'T!"

The guys were about as pissed as I was but for different reasons.

"Damn that Fujimura."

"He's determined to leave the rest of the guys of the world as virgins."

NO! That's not true! I'm on the side of the virgins, hoping each day that we no longer have to be called as such...

"Die, Fujimura."

That last one was from either Motohama or Matsuda, but I couldn't tell.

"AHEM!" The teacher cleared his throat, somewhat annoyed how off-task the class had gotten. "Now, assuming you're DONE with your gossip, I would appreciate it if Madarame would take a seat behind Amano."

I blinked. I looked to my right and suddenly remembered that Ray-I mean YUUMA was in our class too.

I had totally forgotten about the crow.

She seemed to glance at me for a moment, but she flinched when I shot her a hate-filled glare.

….OK. That was actually funny. Knowing she'll explode into a million pieces if she does something bad really makes me feel better about her being in the classroom. Having her on the receiving end of the fear of death was most refreshing.

Sakura pouted. "Can't I take the seat on the left side of Shirou-sama?"

"Erm, but I'm sitting here, sensei." The guy sitting to the left of me said.

Sakura walked over to said guy and played with her hands, apparently nervous.

A shy expression was on her face. "Please? I reeeeaaally want to sit next to Shirou-sama."

Every mind in the classroom including my own simultaneously exploded from the immense amount of cuteness that Sakura showed at that moment.

The guy sitting to the left of me had some blood flowing out of his nose and a blissful expression on his face. "Sure...Please take my seat, Madarame-chan..." He then got out of his seat and walked to another empty one.

And so that happened.

I was prepared to start taking a nap when I felt all of the guys' burning hate-filled gazes on me and the girls' envious gazes on Sakura with the occasional sad glance thrown my way.

Then I heard the sound of a desk screeching across the classroom floor. I jumped when the desk to the left of me bumped into my own. I turned left to see Sakura smiling warmly at me.

GAH! Sakura, you're going to kill me with your ultimate cuteness powers!

It was only through strong willpower that I resisted a nosebleed when Sakura leaned over our conjoined seats and hugged my arm, squeezing it between her sizeable breasts. She smiled so innocently that I thought about Asia...then I started feeling bad about it.

I sighed when the killing intent in everyones' gazes upon me increased to the power level of OVER 9000!

"I love you very much, Shirou-sama!" I sighed at Sakura's bold confession. I would've felt more touched if I didn't know she was really a giant snake. And it only served to make several girls in the classroom start crying and the guys almost smash their desks out of jealousy.

So much for a nap...

* * *

**Nurse's Office..**

I laid down on one of the beds in the Nurse's Office after telling Dohnaseek...Dohnaseek-SENSEI as I had to call him during school hours that I was 'feeling sick'.

Really, I just wanted to cut PE. It was boring when the only person in school that I couldn't outrun was Kiba.

"Well look who's back?" I opened one eye to look up at Kalawarner who was LAYING NEXT TO ME!?

My Fallen Angel friend who was dressed as the school nurse smiled. "Do you want me to check your temperature?" She asked in a flirtatious tone. "Let-me-heal-you-up." She placed her hand on my chest and her fingers began traveling upward.

My face turned a deep shade of red as I jumped, falling over the side of the bed.

Kalawarner giggled a little as I rubbed my aching head after my fall.

I couldn't help but grin too. "Looks like I've FALLEN for you." We both shared a laugh at that.

But damn. She SERIOUSLY looked hot in that nurse's outfit. It looked like it may have been one or two sizes too small for her, emphasizing her already impressive curves. It was almost like she was TRYING to look seductive for me.

Kalawarner sighed, shaking her head. "You really shouldn't skip PE everyday. Dohnaseek's starting to get troubled by the higher ups for letting you cut class."

I put my arms behind my head, sighing. "I wouldn't cut class if it wasn't so boring to me. He makes things fun with 'exercises' like dodgeball and other things, but, as stated before, it's boring when I'm one of the strongest and fastest guys in school." I paused. "Could you please unwrap your arms from around my chest, Kalawarner." But I admit, I liked the feel of Kalawarner's soft breasts pressed against my back from..in..front...of...me...

Kalawarner was staring at me with an expression of confusion and realization on her face.

She chuckled awkwardly. "Hehe...Shirou...remember how you said you developed a slime phobia?"

I shivered again at the thought of the trauma I suffered back in the Familiar Forest. I had to strongly resist the urge to curl up into the fetal position. "Yeah..."

"Don't look down or behind you."

I really should've listened, but nope.

I looked down and was shocked to see two blue, gelatinous arms wrapped around my chest. I paled.

"Meep!" I squeaked. I paled until I was a ghostly white color. I turnedmy head slowly until I was able to see the being behind me.

Suu smiled innocently at me. "Master's warm."

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

I started screaming at the top of my lungs. I continued screaming for several minutes until I had to stop to take a breath. After I did...I continued.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

I quickly freed myself from Suu's grasp and flattened myself against the wall opposite her, huffing and puffing.

"Oh..." I then remembered it was my own familiar and not another sexually predatory slime monster. "Hey, Suu..." I felt my heart start up again after my initial terror subsided. My slime phobia was extremely powerful. Even though she was my familiar and had no chance of violating me again, Suu still terrified me when she took me by surprise.

"Wow, I never thought I'd see you scared like a bunny rabbit." Kalawarner admitted in surprise. Then she smiled. "But I will I'm glad to see you can be just as cute as one."

I blushed slightly, glaring at her. "I-I'm not cute OR a scared bunny rabbit! I'm an uncontrollable storm powered by the force known only a BADASS!"

"Hello?"

"EEEEEEEK!" Hey! Cut me some slack! I was still on edge after Suu's appearance!

I turned towards the entrance of the nurse's office, quickly standing up and shielding Suu's appearance from the observer.

It was a girl from one of my classes. She had short, strawberry-blonde hair and brown eyes. She wore the usual girl school uniform. I remember the Perverted Duo mentioning her one time...Katase Ishihara I think was her name.

She peeked into the room from behind the door frame with a nervous expression on her face.

She jumped when she realized I was staring at her. "O-Oh! F-Fujimura-san!" She frowned, no doubt noticing how stiffly I was standing. I quickly ran in front of her, blocking her at the door. I did somewhat admire her for calling me by my last name, regardless of whether or not she was a fan girl, it felt nice to hear my last name from a normal person without a hint of disdain or lust put into it.

"E-Er...Katase, right?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

She seemed surprised by the fact I knew her name and quickly nodded. "Y-Yeah." And we entered an awkward silence.

"Ooh." Kalawarner noted. "I'll just leave you two to your awkwardness." She stood up and glided past me and Katase.

"W-Wait! Please come back! It's not awkward at al-Damn." I cursed to myself as Kalawarner decided to torture me for her own amusement. "Anyway...can I ask why you're here, Katase-san?" And can I also ask how to get you to leave sooner?

She began to twiddle her fingers, looking down. "W-Well, I heard you were sick and..." She frowned. I tensed when she stood on her tippy toes. "What's that behind you?" I also quickly stood on my tippy toes to block her view again.

"What's what behind me?" I asked nervously. I couldn't very well reveal the existence of the supernatural to a human. So letting her see Suu was a no-no.

"That-thing!" She then started maneuvering in very vain attempts to look behind me which I quickly blocked with every last bit of my power.

"What thing?!"

"That thing you're hiding behind you!"

"I don't-"

"Can I please just see behind you?!" Somehow, whatever our conversation was going to be earlier, it transformed into this. She quickly grabbed my by my shoulders and tried jumping to look at what was behind me. I knew what I had to do.

I grabbed her own shoulders. My eyes darted left and right. "I'vedecidedIlikeyouverymuch, pleasekissme!" And then I moved my face closer to hers and quickly pressed my lips against hers, having no other options at the time. She seemed initially shocked at my kiss, but gradually melted into my arms, closing her eyes. She wrapped her arms around my neck.

"_What are you waiting for?!"_ Mini-Devil Shirou asked from my shoulder. _"Take her into the nurse's office and DO HER!" _I've recently realized that I can talk to these kind of things with my mind.

The fuck!? I thought I killed you!...or maybe that you fell into a sewer somewhere...

"_Dumbass! I'm a manifestation of all of your erotic and less paragon thoughts! You might as well try killing the ocean!"_

….I'm not having sex with her-

"_YOU HAVE SEX WITH HER!"_

….Do you WANT to be flicked off my shoulder again?

Mini-Devil Shirou considered this for a moment before crossing his arms and pouting. _"Fine."_ I could hear him mumbling things under his breath as he slowly faded back into my subconscious.

Realizing our kiss had gone on for several minutes, I finally released Katase.

She stumbled backwards, placing her hands on the sides of her face which held a dreamy expression.

"Buh-bye~!" She waved good-bye as she spun around, somewhat dancing wistfully away from me. I think she may have been singing at one point before she vanished out of sight. I, myself, was still dazed from what I just had to do. My face was light pink.

"Well someone's been having a little bit of fun~"

I almost jumped out of my skin at the voice I heard behind me. I quickly spun on my heels to face Buchou with an amused expression on her face. I looked away from her in response to her teasing, blushing slightly.

"S-Shut up." I shook my head, feeling ashamed of my self. "Besides, it was all Suu's fau-" I pointed to the spot where my slime familiar had been moments ago, shocked to see her missing. "WHAT!?"

Buchou smiled. "I think she returned to the Familiar Forest on her own when you were halfway through kissing that girl."

DAMN SLIIIIIIIIIME!

I shook my head. "Also, in any other circumstance, I would never do something like that! By tomorrow everyone's going to think I'm some kind of sex-crazed beast!"

Buchou stared. "Don't they already think that?"

"But now the rumors will be thought to have some merit!" I sighed. "Oh well...if things ended up like that, my only regret would've been not groping her oppai. I mean if I go down, go down in the blaze of glory! I mean, nobody would really mind seeing their reputation burning in flames just as long as they can do it while groping beautiful oppai!"

Buchou smiled. "...Shirou-"

"No!" I crossed my arms into an 'X'. "Whatever it is, I know it'll lead to something that'll test my willpower and I'm not in the mood."

There was a long silence.

"Shirou, do you like girls' breasts?" DAMMIT! She did it just to mess with me! Why, Buchou?!

I sighed. "Yes. I love them very much. I'm more of a fan of the posterior, but I love breasts too."

"Do you want to touch my breast?"

I quickly shook my head. "No. I have principles. I can NEVER touch a woman's breast unless given definite consent." My face was turning a deep shade of red again.

"I WILL give you consent if you fulfill my request."

"In that case, please go on." Hey, if I get permission, then it's all good. "Wait wait wait." I had one counter offer. "...If I fulfill your request...could I touch something else? Like another part of you per say?" Buchou raised an eyebrow. "Your ass. I'm a bit of an ass man and I want to know if I can grope yours if I fulfill your request."

I felt some shame at saying it flat out, but it was out there and there was nothing I could do about it.

Buchou closed her eyes, considering my question. After a few seconds, she shook her head.

"No. My offer remains as I have described it to you." Damn. So close! I guess she gives no maneuvering space when it comes to a deal.

Shrugging, I gave my answer. "OK, fine." Might as well take what I can get.

"Try to get a complete contract."

….DAMN!

* * *

After classes ended for the day, luckily with no one else finding out the incident between me and Katase, Asia and I both ended up at the ORC clubroom.

Kalawarner was there as well, reading a book no doubt to pass the time. Mittelt was eying Koneko-chan's sweets like a hungry dog, the latter secretly focusing on defending her precious sweets from the black-winged menace. Yuuma waved nervously to Asia who casually waved back before sitting next to our former enemy.

Seriously, Asia is such a kind and forgiving soul. It's only been at most a few weeks, yet somehow Asia had forgiven her and I've heard they've become the best of friends somehow, including Kiryuu into their group to form their own trio.

Dohnaseek was busy doing who-knows-what. I don't know. Something, I guess.

Once we had all gathered, we began the discussion with Buchou saying something shocking to me.

"I'll be going with Shirou as a supervisor."

I hung my head, an aura of depression hanging over me. Asia patted me on the back, trying to soothe me, but I was too depressed.

I had taken quite a few Devil jobs since I first became a Devil, but I've never actually completed a client's request. The only people who summon me are either perverts or Kalawarner whom I'm pretty sure had PURPOSELY been forgetting to repay me during our contracts. For Low-Class Devils in such a boring time, such jobs were the only ways for us to rank up and someday become High-class Devils ourselves...Auuuu...I'll never build a harem or get to fight God at this rate...

I would cry if I had been any less of a man.

I was about to say something when the largest magic circle in the middle of the room began to glow and release a bluish-white color into the air, signalling that someone was trying to summon a Devil.

When Akeno-san checked the circle, she looked back to Buchou.

"It's a request that even Shirou-kun can fulfill." Buchou nodded.

A request that even Shirou could fulfill...

I felt like dying because of how lowly everyone thought of me. Was I truly so incompetent?

Before I could find an answer to that question, Buchou took my hand, guiding my depressed form to the center of the magic circle.

"You are my adorable servant." Buchou said calmly to me, brushing my cheek gently. "So I will take care of you. So follow me."

This time I felt like crying out of happiness.

Buchou, you are so nice! I truly am lucky to call you my master!

I nodded. "Please help me succeed this time."

"Do your best, Shirou-san!" Asia cheered. I smiled, giving her thumbs.

"Count on it."

Buchou and I were then swallowed by the light of the magic circle, being teleported by its power.

* * *

I couldn't quite tell if we had ended up in a room or an apartment. It could've been either or both, but the one thing I WAS sure of was that the guy who owned the place was clearly some kind of Sengoku nut. Swords, posters, helmets, and even a few scrolls (I have no idea why scrolls were ever used to write).

I sighed, scratching my head as I looked around. "Seriously. The guy who lives here really needs to clean up, Buchou." I turned towards the direction of some old bushou-style armor standing right in the middle of the room. "Seriously? Who the Hell leaves a giant suit of armor right in the middle of the living room (or I assume it's a living room)?" I walked up to the armor and leaned forward, trying to examine it.

"Eek!"

I jumped backwards when I heard a voice inside the armor squeak. I quickly crawled back insect-style, paling slightly.

"B-Buchou! The armor's possessed by a g-g-ghost!" The armor moved at the same time, moving away from me from shock.

OK. I know what you're thinking...but ghosts are more irritating than scary. You can't punch them because your fists would just phase right through them. Energy attacks may work, but I would have no idea as I've never seen one performed on a spirit.

The armor screamed. "Ar….are you two devils…..?" My jaw dropped. The voice I heard was exactly the OPPOSITE of what I would've expected to hear from the armor. It was cute and sooo adorable~!...N-Not that I care or anything!

I quickly composed myself, standing up and brushing myself off. I cleared my throat.

"Why yes. We are indeed Devils."

"So I actually summoned a devil…." She sounded...surprised. Then again, I guess somebody receiving a piece of paper and being told 'Oh hey, this paper will summon a Devil to grant your wish if you want' would think it'd be a little farfetched.

I narrowed my eyes. "Just to make sure...you're a girl inside that armor, right?"

The armored woman nodded. "But I'm really shocked…. Devils do exist….."

Couldn't blame her. It's one thing to think that things like Devils and God exist, but it's quite another to know they DO exist and could pop in at any time, giving you a stern talking to about something you did to your neighbor's car last night. Any normal human would be shocked.

But the question I wanted to ask was WHY THE HELL IS SHE WEARING ARMOR?!

"My name is Susan." The woman introduced herself. "Just like you can see, my hobby is to collect things related to the sengoku-era…."

Ah. So she's a foreigner. I guess to someone from another country, stuff like armor and swords would seem awesome...

"I'm sorry for dressing up like this…It's dangerous at night, so I protect myself like this by wearing this armour…."

….Yeah, but wouldn't you be arrested? Cos I think out of everything in my previous normal life, you are by far the most dangerous-looking.

"The first step of learning another country's culture is by being in contact with them." Buchou said, nodding. "It's wonderful."

….Well...It's not like we're in the Sengoku-era anymore so...

"But I'm glad that the ones who came out were kind looking devil-san. If it was a scary devil-san, I would have drawn out this katana, "Kijin-marukuni-shige"….." Susan pulled out a sheathed Japanese sword and held it in her hands...

My respect for the girl went up dramatically. Anyone who carried around a sword casually, prepared to fight what may be monstrous Devils that they summoned is definitely a badass in my book.

I scratched my head. "Well since you're NOT going to try and cut us to pieces, what is the request you want fulfilled?"

I thought I had done something wrong when Susan started to cry.

"…..Please come with me to the University I am attending to as an exchange student…. University at night is really scary…"

Just like that…my respect for her is GONE.

* * *

I sighed, an annoyed expression on my face. While it had initially been a fun idea to see what happened when a girl in dangerous-looking armor walked about town...but nope.

It ended up being a total snooze fest and the sound of Susan's armor clanking against the sidewalk with each step she took was beginning to PISS ME OFF!

I tried convincing her to just let me and Buchou get the book she wanted to get from her University, but the Sengoku nut wanted to come with us.

What was even more annoying was that she was crying during the entire trip. It really didn't help my nerves.

But whenever I got pissed off enough to hit something, I remembered why I was doing this in the first place.

FOR BUCHOU'S OPPAI!

I almost felt scared when Buchou said that it was a waste to leave Susan as a human due to the dangerous aura she had because of her armor. For a brief, terrifying moment, I thought she was going to turn the Sengoku nut into her servant. Thank Maou that situation was averted.

And I WOULD complete this contract. We had accepted our price when we first arrived (an admittedly cool model of a Japanese Castle), so all I had to do was fulfill the request and it would make my first successful contract.

Buchou walked so calmly next to Susan.

"Don't be scared. I'm with you, so walk with pride."

Susan was still crying. "Thank you."

I was the leader of this abnormal group, leading us towards the University.

I couldn't take the small talk. "So how the Hell do you manage to wear that armor everywhere without dropping dead?" Most girls at school excluding the Devils probably wouldn't even be able to put it on.

"There's no problem." Susan assured us. "Even if I look like this, I train while wearing this armour when I'm bored. Of course it's training only inside my room. The Musha from long time ago ran around the battlefield wearing armour. Even I should be able to do that."

You know...there's this little place called "the present". Care to join us there?

I couldn't help but seriously wonder what the Hell was wrong with this girl.

We couldn't have gotten to the University fast enough. It wasn't such a bad building.

"Ah. This is the University I go to…. See? It has a scary atmosphere doesn't it?"

I couldn't help but wonder if she had looked in a mirror anywhere EVER.

"Let's go inside. Aaaah, it's scary….."

And so we went inside, retrieved the notebook, and completed the contract.

* * *

I really expected everything to end after that.

I mean, we returned to Susan's place and Buchou started to complete the spell to teleport us back to the clubroom.

I couldn't help but smile as I waved goodbye to Susan. After this, I would never have to see her strange self ever again, so I was quite happy. And when we get back, I was gonna get to grope Buchou's oppai with her permission! So life was good!

"Um…excuse me…."

I sighed as Susan broke me out of my thoughts. The less I interacted with this annoying girl, the better. Not to mention I kept thinking of ghosts whenever I saw that armor of Susan's tremble. Like a ghost was possessing it...damn ghosts.

"…..It might be a bit rude….. if it isn't rude there is one more wish I want to be fulfilled….."

….I so desperately wanted to say it was rude, but Susan was still a girl. An incredibly shy girl with quite a few irrational fears and hobbies. Whatever conscience rested within my soul worked its way up to the surface long enough to force me to answer.

"It's no trouble." I answered. Buchou nodded in agreement, apparently pleased I had the same thought as her.

"It's okay."

I mean, if it's this girl, the job would have to be easy...like she left her house keys on top of a vending machine or something...

"To tell you the truth…. I'm thinking of going forward to someone…. who goes to the same University as me…. and tell him my feelings."

I blinked. "I don't suppose you mean 'going forward' as in 'challenging them to a duel to the death', do you?"

"N…no!" Susan answered in a terrified tone. "N...Nothing like that!"

I should've known.

"Umm...ummm there is a man that I like… I'm slow at these things but I want to tell him my feelings….."

I froze. "So you want to confess your feelings to him?"

Susan nodded nervously, the head of her armor creaking a little bit.

I gave her a thumbs up, smiling. "Then you can count on us to help grant your wish!"

Buchou smiled. "It is a wonderful wish, so we have no problem helping you once more." She then turned to me. "I'm a little surprised at your enthusiasm though, Shirou."

I scratched my head, clicking my tongue. "While it's true I don't know much and while I'm not a huge romantic sometimes, I'm a firm believer in true love! If this guy Susan is after is her true love, then I shall help her pursue him!" I pointed at the armored girl. "We're going to help you, Susan!"

"You will? I'm so glad that these Devil-sans are good people!" She did what I suspected to be either an excited dance or some kind of strange death curse spell in her armor.

"So what are we supposed to do? Do you want us to organise a showy play? Or do you want us to get this person's heart by using demonic-power?"

I tapped Buchou gently on the head with my fist, giving her a scolding look.

Oh how strange it was that I was the one scolding HER. She was just as surprised as I was.

"Baka! You don't use magic or some kind of curse to force someone to fall in love! If it's not natural, then it's not true love at all! If it's not some type of confession from the heart, then it means nothing!"

Susan nodded in agreement with me. "I want to go out with him by telling my feelings….. But it's my first time at things like this….. I'm not sure where to start from."

So Susan had the same thoughts as me. She wants to confess with her own strength, but we're there to help her pull it off.

"Well what about a direct confession?" I suggested. "I mean, I've seen it work well enough in most romance manga. It's the quickest way to do it."

Susan quickly shook her head. "No no no! That's impossible for me!"

I considered her situation for several silent minutes. I snapped my fingers as an idea popped into my head.

"Got it! What about a letter?!" I suggested. "Nothing like saying 'I love you' through the written word!"

Bucho nodded in agreement. "I think a love letter is also good. I think its wonderful to show your feelings in a letter as well."

Susan nodded. "I understand! I will write it!"

...it went well until her writing using a calligraphy set turned into a weird horror scene that looked like Susan was trying to create some kind of curse.

"Why don't you just use normal pen and paper?" I asked, sweatdropping.

"Eh? This is the letter. A love letter. I wrote [I send this letter for a purpose of thee. In the meaning of peace]."

"Hold on a second! What language is that!?" I asked her because she wrote some unknown sentence from the beginning of the letter.

"It's Japanese. It means that "Please be rest assured because it's nothing special"."

I shook my head. "No. No. NOBODY writes like that anymore. No offense, Susan, but...WE'RE NOT IN THE SENGOKU-ERA ANYMORE." I emphasized each word. "It sounds like you're trying to create some kind of chain letter or something, trying to curse someone to an early and painful death. If you don't express your love perfectly and clearly, then it will lead to horrible misunderstandings!"

"N…no….. I can't write a letter besides this…"

"Y-You came to Japan as an exchange student, so learn how to write normal Japanese, dammit! I mean, it's fine even if it's English since you're not a native! Even that person you're trying to confess to will try to translate it because he would want to know what is written!"

What was wrong with this girl!?

"Then there was no meaning for me to come to Japan! All Japanese men are the descendants of samurai! I want to go out with a Samurai-san in order to have a proper relationship!"

My eye twitched. "For some reason, I feel offended by that." Perhaps it's because this stupid girl knows NOTHING about Japanese culture. Man, Asia had no sense of a normal life and even SHE (not being insulting here) was able to easily pick up on things!

"I also haven't met a samurai since I came to this country." Buchou stated. "I thought that there would at least be one in this town."

My eye twitched twice this time. "That...I..." It was times like these that I forgot Buchou was also technically a foreigner. She was not native to Japan.

The only sword-wielding weirdo in the entire country outside of cosplayers is the offensively ignorant girl in the Sengoku-era armor!

"Then this won't be needed then." Susan sighed while pulling back the string of a bow.

"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU PLANNING!?" I shouted, my patience starting to break. "Are you TRYING to cause an international incident?! That's a huge crime right there!"

I could already see how the media would spin such a story: Crazy Ignorant Girl Shoots Man in Heart.

Something to that effect.

"It is…? I thought an arrow-letter is normal in Japan."

Yep. Definitely felt offended by her ignorance. "What exactly do you think we DO in Japan all the time?" I asked mostly to myself. "I mean...maybe like several hundred years ago that was the norm, but now? Not so much. So please stop suggesting things that makes it seem like you're going to kill the guy! He can't respond to your love if you kill him!"

"Ah, that is a good point..." She...she said it so nonchalantly...

"Don't worry. I will help you write a letter." Buchou offered. "I'll teach you how to write on all night."

"Wha-but-I-" I sighed before walking over to a nearby wall.

BANG BANG BANG

Buchou stared at me with concern as I slammed my head against the wall. "Shirou, are you-"

"I'm fine," I assured her. "Just...venting." I continued banging my head against the wall, tired. "Just...continue without me."

And that was how I spent a majority of the night.

* * *

**Several days later...**

This had been going on for much longer than I thought it would. A frustrating job that was only supposed to take one night ended up being spread over a course of several days.

Buchou and I sat in a local park, observing Susan from afar.

I wanted to look at the letter they had written in my absence, but Susan had already given it to the guy before I could get a good look at it. I could only hope she wrote it in an understandable dialect and that she wrote her honest feelings. I refused to see this romance fail because she couldn't write correctly!

The guy Susan sent the letter to would be coming to the park that day. Me and Buchou were there more for moral support.

The moment Susan arrived, all of the parents gathered up their children and left. For some odd reason, Susan's armor radiated a strange killing intent.

Some of the older and slightly more senile adults actually thought that Susan was dressed up for some sort of play...but that's not too crazy sounding. Sounded much more believable than the fact that the girl here was about to confess her feelings. I mean, it didn't help that Susan was shaking nervously, producing a sort of clicking sound with her armor.

"Looks like he's here." Buchou said, snapping me out of my thoughts.

I was about to ask how she knew that when I heard the sound of clanking metal, not coming from Susan this time. The guy who was approaching was wearing western-style armor, carrying a cone-shaped lance in one hand and a shield in the other. His face was completely covered by his helmet.

I couldn't do anything but sigh. "Of course this is the guy the Sengoku nut would fall for..." I turned to Buchou, a tired expression on my face. "There. We came. We saw. Can we go home now?"

Buchou shook her head. Her eyes were sparkling slightly with amusement. "No. Let's stay and observe. This is an amazing collaboration of a Musha and a Knight."

I sweatdropped. "You're really enjoying this, aren't you?" I couldn't help but feel that this lends credibility to my theory of Buchou being a bit of an otaku.

I looked back and my eyes widened at an arrow sticking out of the Knight's head.

"What the Hell, Susan?! I thought we weren't going to do the arrow thing!" I started pulling on my hair. "You don't confess to someone by trying to kill them!"

"Yes. I thought about it a lot... and the only method I had, to give the letter, was by using the arrow."

My left eye twitched. "I don't even...I just...I'm pretty sure THAT is the reason he's carrying a lance right now!"

"It is a splendid lance…." The armored girl said shyly.

"That's not the point at all! And don't go falling in love with a weapon!"

This certainly wasn't any confession attempt I'd ever seen. It's nothing like any of my romantic fanta-I mean...er...It's not like any romance I've ever seen! Y-Yeah! That's what I meant!

Seriously though, why did I have the rotten luck of having such abnormal clients?

I had a short girl trying to solicit me for sex, Kalawarner who turned out to be a Fallen Angel, there was that one time with that weird muscle dude with something to do with magic girls, and etc. Now I had a weirdo client dressed in samurai armor using arrows to send love letters...I was pretty sure the universe was spiting me by that point in time.

The sound of colliding metal became louder as the Knight came closer before stopping in front of Susan. It looked like a battle between eras was about to take place. I would say this wasn't normal, but my definition of normal had been horribly destroyed ever since I became a Devil.

This was technically 'normal' for me now.

I almost readied myself for a fight when the Knight jammed his lance violently into the ground. He took something out of who-knows-where. It was a letter.

"…This letter. I have read it…"

"Yes…" Susan's shaking was creating an incredibly annoying noise. I stood tensely beside Buchou, waiting patiently for the outcome of this confrontation.

"...It was a wonderful arrow-letter. For me to let my guard down and get shot…. It was a good arrow-letter…"

What? I...I'm not following.

"I…I was just thinking about shooting the bow….Horie-kun."

W-WHAT?! THAT'S NOW WHAT YOU SAY WHEN YOU ALMOST KILL A GUY!

I assumed that Susan's statement meant something like "I meant every word in that letter."

I had to picture it that way without going insane.

"If it's me, I would be glad to go out with you…"

I blinked, considering the response of the Knight, Horie. He...accepted...

I wanted to believe that the arrow hit his brain and screwed up his mind, but I knew better. Actually, I was relieved.

Then I heard the sound of Susan sobbing again, this time crying with joy. "Ho….Horie-kun….. So...I'm glad..."

"Susan….."

The Knight, Horie-kun, gently hugged Susan. With both of them wearing armor, there was a strange combination of scraping and colliding metal.

"Let's talk about "The Book of Five Rings" you wrote about in this letter."

"Yes. I wanted to talk about Miyamato Musashi's Niten Ichi-ryuu with you Horie-kun…"

The Musha and Knight took each other's hand and walked away.

Susan gave both Buchou and I a wave goodbye. "Thank you so very much! Both of you!"

OK, that last part got me...despite all of the weirdness and arrow-shooting...it was so sweet...

"Ara ara. Are you crying, Shirou?"

I wiped the tears from my eyes. "N-No! I-I just got something in my eye!..."

Those two armored weirdos were truly a match made in Heaven. And the way they came to return each others feelings...

Buchou smiled patting me gently on the shoulder.

* * *

**ORC Clubroom...**

Not too much time later, we had been sent a photo of the happy couple together. Their appearance was abnormal but their love was pure!...I'm a sucker for true love...I admit it...I know the feel-N-Nothing. Never mind.

Anyway, we got Horie-kun's admittedly awesome lance in exchange for fulfilling Susan's second wish. A lance and a model castle was what we got in total. Not a bad pay out. I also felt so fulfilled.

I not only helped a couple find their true love, but I also completed TWO successful jobs on one go!

Kiba certainly enjoyed holding the lance every now and then, the weapons master he was.

Buchou and I had, at some point, had ended up in the Clubroom alone together.

I remembered the reason why we had gone through that trial in the first place. Every now and then I would find myself staring at Buchou's oppai, but I think it was now that nobody else was around that Buchou noticed my stares.

"...promise...oppai..." I felt like smacking myself in the face for saying it aloud. I had been thinking about it so much, I believe my Mini-Devil self had taken control of my mouth.

Buchou seemed to think about it for a bit. She smile politely and I felt an arrow of guilt stab my heart.

"Ah yes. We did make a promise, didn't we?" Buchou stood up from the couch, no doubt prepared to keep her end of the deal.

I was in a moral conflict. I REAAALLY wanted to grope Buchou's oppai at least, but...she's my respected master...not to mention everything I just went through...

Damn you, conscience...

I sighed. "What promise are you talking about, Buchou?" Buchou gave my a curious look.

"You didn't just remember it?"

I scratched my head. "About that...I think I may have gotten short-term memory loss when I was banging my head against the wall the other day. I don't remember anything having to do with a promise. So that means no such promise exists, correct?"

Buchou was still confused yet curious.

"And even if there was such a promise, doing such a thing now after bringing those two armor nuts together would make anything I did feel cheap. No. Bringing two people who love each other together is enough of a reward..."

…I think I've said this before, but I'm a firm believer in true love. I would never soil such a thing with something like a perverted promise.

"Ufufu." Buchou laughed, amused. "Are you sure?"

That tested my willpower. I wanted to be a little perverted then, but luckily I was saved from giving into temptation by the opening of the clubroom door.

"Shirou-san. Were you here before me?"

"Sorry for coming late."

"…Hello."

"Glad to see you're okay, master."

"Sorry, it took so long for cleaning."

I sighed, relieved that I would not be able to do anything ecchi with the others around.

I waved tiredly at them. "Hey, guys."

"Ara ara." Akeno-san laughed. "I wonder what was going on in here."

"Nothing." I said, sighing a little. "Absolutely. Nothing."

Buchou tapped her chin. "Well, I can't let you go without SOME reward."

I stared at Buchou, pondering her meaning when she walked up to me. I was even more surprised when Buchou wrapped her arms around me. I felt my face light up a powerful shade of red.

My mind blanked as I felt Buchou's oppai press against my own chest. They were soft like marshmallows.

"So at the very least I'll hug you for a while."

"So, what's going on in here~?" Came Mittelt's cheerful voice. "Someone's tryin to put the moves on Buchou, ain't he~?"

I felt myself blushing even more deeply than before.

"Shirou's so cute when he's nervous." Kalawarner teased. All three of the Fallen Angel girls walked into the room, Yuuma flinching when my eyes looked at her.

"S-Shut up! I-I'm not nervous!" I broke out of Buchou's embrace. "I-It's not like it was really warm or anything!"

"Ah. So THIS is tsundere." Sakura noted with interest.

"Not you too, Sakura!" I whined. "I'm not a damn tsundere!"

I would've gone further, but Buchou placed a gentle hand on my shoulder.

"Do your best next time as well. My adorable Shirou." Buchou spoke to me as if I was some kind of child, but it was nice in a way.

I felt...happy...

I know I never really appreciated it until recently, but...

I was truly happy that Buchou was my master. I was happy to be a Devil.

I was definitely going to become stronger. I was going to keep my promise I made to the girl I love.

I smiled to myself, thinking that perhaps we could have a warm love...Maybe I could say those words I planned to say to her a long time ago...The words that had been burning strongly in my heart for several years:

_I love you..._

**And on that note, I am done~! Yep. Shirou-kun may not look it, but he's a true believer in true love. He's a bit of a romantic, but he can be a little rough around the edges sometimes. He's a slightly pervy, slightly romantic tsundere. I hope you've all enjoyed because this is the last filler!**

**That's right! Starting next chapter, the second story arc will begin!**

**Thanks for the reads and reviews~!**

**Bye-Bye~!**


	12. Chapter 11: Arranged Marriage

**ALRIGHT! TIME FOR THE SECOND STORY ARC TO BE KICKED INTO HIGH GEAR! ENJOY EVERYBODY!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except OC's.**

**Chapter 11:**

**Arranged Marriage**

_There were a whole bunch of blinding bright lights._

_I recognized this dream from before. Sometimes, when I was really lucky, I would have this dream._

_I was standing at a beautiful chapel that was all white, dressed in a tuxedo. I knew, as a Devil, me marrying this beautiful human girl would never end well because I would outlive her by thousands of years, but that didn't stop me from always enjoying this particular dream._

_All of my family and friends were in seats, gathered together before the chapel._

"_NO! For that bastard to get married like this...!"_

"_It has to be some kind of mistake! Some kind of trick!"_

_The Perverted Duo were staring jealously, crying._

"_Now I know the answer to my question next time I ask if you're a virgin."_

_Kiryuu spoke with her usual cheerful tone...but something seemed different. A little sad perhaps._

"_Just be sure to be safe. Use protection, my beloved Otouto."_

_...even in my dreams, Mako-nee was embarrassing me..._

_It was obviously some kind of wedding scene. I straightened my bow tie, ready to receive my beloved bride who was currently walking up the aisle, a veil over her face._

_I knew the girl's face at the present only because she sent me a postcard once the previous year._

_My bride eventually made it to the chapel and stood beside me, staring at me through her veil._

"_Glad you could make it, I-" But then she removed her veil and I was shocked by the face underneath. "B-Buchou!?"_

_Rather than beautiful brown hair, I was greeted by the color of crimson and the face of my master who was smiling happily at me. I looked off to the side of the room to see Kiba, Koneko-chan, Akeno-san, and even the four Fallen Angels, all clapping their hands to congratulate me and Buchou. Apparently Suu and Sakura had somehow ended up being bridesmaids._

"_Ah! Shirou-sama's being taken by our beautiful Rias-oneesama!"_

"_It's a match made in Heaven but I'm still so sad!"_

"_Why can't I be the one up there with Shirou-sama!?"_

_My fangirls were outside, being restrained by a bouncer (I think)._

"_You really shouldn't look at other women when I'm right next to you, Shirou." I snapped my head back towards Buchou, still surprised by the turn this dream had taken._

"_Eh? S-Sorry, Buchou."_

_I...Why was I marrying Buchou when I was in love with someone else?...I mean..._

_I wasn't complaining. I mean, I deeply respect and admire Buchou, but..._

_Why wasn't I objecting? Despite the fact that my heart belonged to another girl, I felt strangely happy as I looked at Buchou._

_I didn't pay attention to the geezer who was saying wedding vows...I just..._

"_Do you, Rias Gremory, take him, Shirou Fujimura, to be your lawfully wedded husband? T_o _have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?"_

_Buchou seemed really happy. "I do."_

_The geezer turned to me. "And do you, Shirou Fujimura, take her, Rias Gremory, to be your lawfully wedded wife? __T__o have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?"_

_I felt myself blushing deeply. "I do." Those words filled me with such warmth...the same way I felt when I said them the other times I had the dream with my true love._

"_Then by the power invested in me, I hereby pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."_

_K-Kiss!?_

_Buchou grabbed my hands and was still smiling at me shortly before closing her eyes and puckering her lips._

_KIIIIIIISSSS!?_

_I desperately looked off to the side, looking for some way to wake me up from this dream._

_I couldn't kiss Buchou! She's my master! I..._

_But then I looked back at Buchou, noticing her incredibly soft-looking lips. I blushed even more deeply._

_Well...it WAS a dream after all..._

_My heart beating incredibly hard in my chest, I closed my eyes and also leaned forward to kiss Buchou-_

[Looks like you're having fun, shitty brat.]

I had been completely surrounded by darkness, but I recognized the voice.

Who are you calling a shitty brat, you shitty dragon!? Where do you get off sticking your ugly nose in my dreams!?

I turned around to see a rather impressive sight, my eyes widening.

It had big eyes. The color of its eyes was red like a blood. A jaw that came up to its ears, where lots of sharp fangs were growing out. There was a thick horn lining up on its forehead, and the scales that covers its body was red like a magma. It had thick arms and legs like those of a gigantic tree. The claws looked very sharp and terrifying. More than that, its pair of wings that were spread to the sides made this giant monster look even bigger.

IT WAS A DRAGON! His presence was powerful. If he wanted to, he could squish me like a bug.

….You know, you're a lot bigger than I thought you'd be...

[Indeed. Perhaps you should watch who you're calling a 'shitty dragon' from now on.]

Ddraig sounded like he was half-serious and half-joking.

I knew he wouldn't eat me because then he'd have to wait for his next host.

[That is correct. The only reason I brought you here was so we could have proper introductions.]

Alright. Hi, dream-invading-dragon. My name is Shirou Fujimura. Nice to meet you.

[As I've told you before, I am the Welsh-Dragon, Ddraig. I am also known as the [Red Dragon Emperor].]

So, you're the being living in my [Blade Genesis]. Hm. Well, I suppose being partners with a dragon who lives in my Sacred Gear isn't the strangest thing that's happened to me.

[I have seen what you've seen and I agree with that...I've never seen a slime like that-]

DON'T MENTION THE SLIIIIIME!

I curled up into the fetal position, whimpering to myself.

Ddraig let out a slightly roar-like laugh.

[I can say you are certainly one of the more interesting partners I've had. Let's talk again. Aye, Partner.]

And then everything completely faded away into darkness.

* * *

I slowly opened my eyes to see the familiar ceiling of my bedroom.

I sighed. "Well, here's to a hopefully long partnership, Ddraig." I raised my left hand into the air.

That wasn't the part I was so focused on. It had been the dream before my conversation with the Welsh-Dragon that was really bothering me.

I had been about to marry Buchou...

Don't get me wrong. I like Buchou and everything. She was beautiful, smart, and nice, but I was in love with someone else! Why did I have that marriage dream with Buchou in it?!

My heart wouldn't stop beating irregularly fast in my chest.

For some reason, every time I thought about it, my face started heating up, my body started sweating, and my heart started trying to beat out of my chest.

What was this feeling I was having?

I definitely loved my childhood friend, but...why did the two feelings seem similar?

"Mmm..." Groaned a voice next to me. That was when I felt a strange warmth clinging to my side. "...so waaaaarm..." I turned my head to the left to see Sakura clinging to my side...naked.

"EEEEEHHHH!?" In my shocked, I pulled myself away from her and slipped out of the bed, falling painfully onto the floor. "S-SAKURA?!"

"_OI! KEEP IT DOWN IN THERE!_" Commanded Makoto's voice._ "I DON'T CARE WHO YOU'RE DOING AS LONG AS YOU KEEP IT DOWN!"_

I blinked. "Don't you mean-?!"

"_I KNOW WHAT I SAID!"_

I sighed, blushing slightly at my Onee-sama's words.

Sakura started groaning more, her eyes twitching before the slowly slid open.

Her large, bare breasts bounced once as she sat up on the bed, rubbing her eyes.

"Oh, g'morning, master." She greeted with a dreamy smile.

My face was steaming as I quickly clamped my hands over my eyes. "I-I can see everything!"

Giving into demands made to me mentally by Mini-Devil Shirou, I ended up peeking through my fingers.

Sakura looked so adorable despite being naked. "Oh, I'm sorry, Master. I wanted to keep warm while I slept, so I slithered into your bed in snake-form, but I guess I changed back to my human form while I was sleeping."

Made sense.

Sakura blushed. "But...it's alright if I bare my body to my master, Shirou-sama." She stepped out of my bed and crawled over to me, hovering over my body.

My face felt like it was going to explode.

"S-Sakura! I-It's right over-" If she kept going on like this, our parts would touch through the clothing.

Sakura grabbed my left arm and smiled...then she pressed my hand against her right breast.

Cue nosebleed.

I quickly covered my nose with my sleeve to keep from leaking blood onto the ground.

Her oppai were as soft as they looked. They probably weren't as soft as Buchou's, but-

Damn! Why am I still thinking about Buchou?! I mean it's not like-

The door to my bedroom opened.

"Master?" I blinked at the voice behind me before turning around.

Standing in the center of the doorframe, dressed in her favorite outfit (AKA, her school uniform), was Sakura. She had a shocked expression mirroring my own.

"S-Sakura?!" I looked back and forth between the naked Sakura that was pretty much on top of me and the fully clothed Sakura standing behind me. "B-But you-and-huh?"

The Sakura by the door placed her hands on her hips and pouted. "Suu, you shouldn't go tricking Shirou-sama like that."

I paled. "Suu...?" The Sakura who was on top of me began to shift her form until she came to reveal her true form of a beautiful, bluish-green slime woman. I squeaked as the slime girl stared at me. I quickly removed myself from under her and leaped onto my bed, leaning against the window. I looked at the clock on the nightstand next to my bed.

It was only 4:30 in the morning. That would explain the extreme fatigue I felt.

I had initially thought it was because of the dream I had about Buchou.

I felt my face heat up again.

Dammit...why am I reacting like this...? It was just a dream...

I sighed, looking out the window and I jumped when I saw the girl I had just been thinking about standing by the gate in front of my house.

Training! I had completely forgotten!

She looked at me through my window from the ground, as if sensing my presence.

_Hurry up._

Those were the words she mouthed while smiling.

I nodded down to her. Already wearing pants, I quickly grabbed a black, T-shirt from my drawers and quickly changed shirts. I turned to Sakura, flinching when I glimpsed at Suu.

"Tell Onee-sama I left with a friend and will be back later."

* * *

I was humming/somewhat singing to myself as I ran on the track with a medium-sized boulder tied onto my shoulders, carrying out the routine(?) I had been doing for Buchou for the past few days, working on increasing my strength as a Devil.

"Kirameku namida wa hoshi ni~ Kaze ni nori sora wo kazaru~ Tsukiakari kumo ni togiretemo~ Boku wo terasu~"

I really liked the second opening of Fate/Stay Night. While I felt the title of the song was a bit too long, the song itself was much better than 'Disillusion'.

"Keep going! I won't forgive my adorable servant for being weak." Buchou commanded from atop the boulder where she sat. "I will admit your singing voice is lovely though." I smiled at Buchou's compliment, uncertain why I was so pleased.

She was a complete Spartan-instructor...so of course my respect for my precious master increased immensely. She was merciless when it came to training.

Really, the boulder part was my idea. That way, I could work on my speed, stamina, and strength all at the same time. Being a Devil was great because my original human strength ended up being modified. Now I was able to complete much more strenuous yet effective exercises that would've killed me as a human.

I think Buchou was a little surprised by my willingness to do such things.

True, the work was hard, but I was determined to become stronger as Buchou commanded.

Really, since I had been doing so good, she hadn't had much to say about me and ended up being more encouraging than anything. She tended to just repeat the same line over and over again because I was more than eager to complete any additional exercise she assigned me.

My battle against Raynare had shown me I needed quite a bit of improvement if I wanted to be able to last in the world of Devils.

Buchou closed the book she was reading atop the boulder, marking her page with a bookmark, as I crossed the starting/finishing line on the track field once again.

"That makes 182. I believe that's enough laps for now." She had told me to start running and not to stop until she said so. 182 was seven laps less than my all-time record. The lame stuff we do in PE was nothing compared to this. I was more amazed that she kept track of the number of laps even though she had been reading her book the entire time. "Alright, now get down and give me some push-ups, Shirou. Don't stop until I say so." I nodded to Buchou's command.

Buchou slid off the boulder and landed perfectly on the ground beside me.

I untied the boulder from my shoulders and let it fall on the ground. I stretched my stiff muscles, a bit sore from carrying around my boulder. I released a sigh before getting down on the ground.

"I guess I should take it easy during the last few steps." I was admittedly somewhat tired. I had been carrying around that boulder since 4:45 this morning and it was now 6:57.

Buchou nodded, allowing it as a reward for all of my hard work. I got into push-up position and was about to start when Buchou sat down again...On my back.

I blushed. I started doing push-ups, but couldn't help but feel slightly aroused at Buchou's soft bottom on my back. "...so soft...this feeling...definitely the best..." I whimpered a little when Buchou slapped my own butt...but somehow it only aroused me a bit more...It was strange yet pleasing feeling. Like when Akeno-san is displaying her 'S' side.

"You are having dirty thoughts. The movement of your hips is lecherous."

I can't help it, Buchou! You KNOW that I have an ass fetish!

"Well, when I think about the fact that you, a beautiful girl, are riding me like a horse, it encourages such thoughts."

"Oh? Able to talk back even while doing push-ups? Should I make the starting goal 200 then?"

It was meant as a threat, but Buchou still hadn't learned that I welcome any additional work.

I was determined to surpass all limits and become the ultimate [Pawn].

"Bring it on!" I shouted determinedly. I then went back to doing push-ups.

"Hmm, it should be about time that she gets here…" Buchou trailed off, thinking to herself perhaps.

I nodded. Asia usually came around this time during our training to check up on me and heal any injuries I sustained during my training. It wasn't dangerous, but sometimes I overdid it and ended up with twisted muscles.

"Shirou-san, Buchou-san! I'm sorry for being late-!"

"Careful, Asia!"

Asia, who had been running towards us, had ended up tripping over who-knows-what, but was caught by another familiar girl before she could hit the ground.

"Ah, thank you, Yuuma-san!" Asia smiled at the dark-haired girl who had caught her. Yuuma nodded.

Over the course of time, Yuuma, having been truly forgiven by Asia rather than being forgiven by Asia because the nun didn't want to see me cause unnecessary bloodshed. The two had truly become close friends and Yuuma had appointed herself as some sort of guardian over Asia. Well, honestly that position is shared by her and Kiryuu, but I was not entirely comfortable having my most perverted girl friend (a friend who is a girl, not a GIRLFRIEND girl friend...well she was the most perverted as both) around such an innocent and pure girl like Asia.

"You okay, Asia?" I instinctively shot to my feet, ready to help the almost downed sister. I flinched when I heard something behind me hit the ground.

"Ow..."

I turned around with an extremely guilty expression on my face. "B-Buchou! Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to-!"

Buchou winced slightly from having hit the ground, but didn't seem to be in any pain whatsoever.

I held out my hand to her to help her up which she accepted and pulled herself off the ground.

Buchou brushed herself off, but didn't seem angry. "It's fine. Just try to think before you act, Shirou."

I chuckled awkwardly. "I really am sorry though." I hung my head in shame but only straightened up when Buchou patted me gently on the head.

"It is okay, Shirou. I am touched that you were this worried though." That last comment sounded suspiciously like a cute tease.

But she had a point though. I was usually worried about Buchou, but I kinda overreacted right there. I had been admittedly tense around Buchou for a while. Damn that dream!

"Buchou-san, are you okay?" Asia asked worriedly as she and Yuuma walked over to us.

Buchou nodded, picking up her book from the ground. "Perhaps it's best we do take a break for now. Perhaps let Shirou get a bit more focused." She said that last part with a smile and I realized that my face was still red from her sitting on me. I was more focused on that than the training...

…..Did I ever mention I had an ass fetish?

* * *

"Shirou-san, here's your tea."

"Thanks, Asia." I accepted a hot cup of tea after we all ended up sitting together. "You really didn't have to come though. You deserve as much of a rest as I do what with healing me every time I fell out of a tree..."

It's a long story involving more boulders tied to my back and me practicing my climbing and jumping skills in the place of flying with my wings.

Asia's face turned a light-pink color. "Well, Shirou-san and Buchou-san are training everyday and I don't really do much other than heal and make tea."

"And I had to come to make sure Asia got here alright." Yuuma chipped in.

"No one asked you, crow." I said harshly, causing Yuuma to shrink away. I didn't glare, but I made my dislike for her quite obvious. I then turned to Asia and smiled softly. "But you do enough, Asia. You're the one who has to support us during battles with your healing abilities. After all, even a tank can be crushed like a soda can if it isn't kept in good condition by its support...or something like that."

It sounded much better in my head and I ended up feeling silly.

I took of a sip and let out a sigh of content. "Besides, the tea's delicious!" I may only have Akeno-san's tea to compare it to as Mako-nee couldn't even boil water without turning it into some kind of poison, but the tea Asia made was so tasty.

Asia smiled at my compliment. "Thank you very much." I felt happy seeing her smile. I made a promise. For Asia and all of my other friends, I would get stronger so I wouldn't have to see such a sad expression on their faces. Especially Buchou...

I frowned. There it was again.

Just because I had a dream about Buchou, it didn't mean that I l-

"Buchou...What's with that strange expression on your face?" When I looked to Buchou, she seemed to have a weird look on her face. Like she was thinking about something sad.

Buchou snapped out of whatever thought she was thinking and made a cough noise.

"No, it's nothing. More than that, it's good timing. I decided to have it done today, so let's head over to your house now."

I blinked. "Why does this feel like one of those things that involves you magicking Mako-nee's mind?"

"It's about time that the luggage arrives." Buchou seemed to ignore my question entirely.

….Wait. Whose luggage?

* * *

**Fujimura Residence...**

My jaw dropped at the amount of luggage piled in my front yard. The crow had vanished the moment Buchou and I had started heading back to my house.

I opened and closed my mouth several times, trying to find the proper words to describe my reaction.

"What...the Hell?" I resisted the urge to drop an unnecessary 'F-bomb' with Asia around.

I couldn't help but wonder why there was a mountain of luggage there.

Buchou smiled at me innocently, as if trying to say 'What? This has always been here, waiting for you.'

...but somehow I found myself blushing at that cute smile.

DAMMIT! What's with me today!?

"Now then, Shirou. Carry these to the room." I stared.

"I-I'm sorry. Could you repeat that?"

Buchou nodded. "I need you to carry all of Asia's belongings into the house."

I sighed, rubbing my temples. "Yeah, no I got that part. But I mean, why are all of Asia's belongings here? Why do I have to carry them all into the house?"

"Because it's what a gentleman would do." Buchou explained. "Aren't you a gentleman?"

"Yea-No. And by 'no', I mean 'HELL no'..." Buchou and I stared at one another for several silent minutes. I hung my head in defeat. "OK, fine." I then shot another suspicious look. "But can I ask why Asia's belongings are here?"

"Of course. After all, starting today, Asia will be living in your house."

I nodded, understanding what Buchou was saying. "Ah, makes sense. It would make sense to carry Asia's luggage inside if she was going to be living in my h-Wait, what?!" I crossed my arms into an 'X'. "Hooooold on a second! I'm not doing a goddamned thing until I get an explanation!"

Buchou stared again...

I hung my head again. "OK, fine. I'll take the luggage inside."

* * *

Buchou, Asia, Onee-san (who was dressed in a red sweater and black sweatpants), and I all sat around the dining room table, a tense atmosphere in the air. Sakura was there too because it was a 'family' discussion, and she was going under the idenity as mine and Makoto's cousin from abroad, but she wasn't really part of the discussion.

It felt eerily similar to when I first woke up next to Buchou after I became a Devil.

Before we entered to speak with Mako-nee, Buchou explained to me that while she had provided Asia with temporary housing, she needed a more permanent and stable home. Thus my house made the perfect choice.

Auuuu, Buchou's so kind and considerate to Asia!

Eh! Snap out of it, Shirou! Focus on convincing Mako-nee to let Asia stay here!

"Onee-sama, because of the situation I've described, will you allow Asia Argento to home stay here?"

Mako-nee closed her eyes, as if thinking. "Very well, but let me ask Asia-chan one question."

Yes! She was calling her 'Asia-chan'! That was definitely a good sign.

"Y-Yes, Onee-sama?!" Mako-nee smiled at being called 'Onee-sama' by this embodiment of absolute purity, joy, and innocence.

"Well, I should warn you that my Baka-otouto can be a bit of a pervert. He can also be a big idiot sometimes. So...WHAT EXACTLY ARE YOUR INTENTIONS!?"

I was taken aback by the amount of force of Mako-nee' question.

What did she mean 'what are your intentions'?

Then again, a unbelievably cute teenage girl having another unbelievably beautiful asking for her to stay in my house does sound awfully strange. I mean, EVERYONE knows my reputation and no girl would stay at my house unless they expected to be ravished by 'the beast'...a stalker (the one I mentioned when I first started telling my story) I had one time tried sneaking into my room once...that was not a good day for me.

I then froze as I felt the atmopshere became incredibly hostile, the source of the hostility being Mako-nee.

E-Eh? C-Could this be Makoto's legendary 'Protective Big Sister' mode?!

"Are you plotting to conquer my baby brother?!"

"E-Eh?" Asia seemed horribly confused by what my Onee-sama was asking. Buchou also seemed confused by Makoto's stubborn resistance.

I had thought the reason Makoto was so stubbornly resisting Buchou's mind-manipulating trick was because her occasional overprotective nature took over...It was the only thing that made sense to any of us.

"I refuse to allow anyone with an intention of using Shirou as a toy to stay here!"

"To-?" Asia started before I clamped a hand over her mouth, my face incredibly red. She didn't need to know what Mako-nee meant.

"ONEE-SAMA!"

"Then how about if Asia becomes your sister-in-law, then?"

""Eh?"" Both Mako-nee and I turned and stared at Buchou, uncertain if we heard right.

"Asia believes in Shirou very much. Very much. It's the same for me as well." Oh that's so nice. "Shirou does lack a bit of intelligence and is very straight forward, but he is not a fool." I felt irked at that comment. "Instead, he has such a burning soul that he would walk towards any obstacle and would try to overcome it. Both Asia and I are drawn to that part of Shirou. Especially Asia. Isn't that right, Asia?"

...Buchou...y-you're drawn to me? Is this-?

I then resisted the urge to punch myself in the face. Buchou was trying to convince Onee-sama, but I somehow ended up thinking too much into it. That dream I had was really screwing up my mind. It wasn't some kind of confession or anything.

"Y-Yes! Shirou-san saved me by risking his life. He is my life savior. He also helps me very much at school. Even in class, he…"

I felt my face turn red at Asia's praise. I really hadn't done anything. Without my friends, I wouldn't have been able to do anything other than getting killed. I keep the creeps away from her at school, but I didn't really do much other than that.

I looked at Mako-nee to guage her reaction and was taken aback.

Mako-nee's eyes were watering and her fists were clenched. Her face was somewhat red and she was desperately looking like she wasn't going to cry.

Like me, Mako-nee is a sucker for true love. The difference between us is that I know true love when I see it. I liked Asia, b-but to call it a romantic kind of love...I mean...not that there's anything wrong with it, but it was rather incorrect...

Mako-nee began biting the tip of her thumb, thinking. She turned her back to us and seemed rather conflicted about something. "Oh...how I really want this younger sister, but...and he really liked her before...but then again I...but the pre-made..." I didn't really catch much of what Mako-nee was mumbling to herself.

"I-It's fine if it's too inconvenient for you, Onee-sama. I..I just want to be able to be by Shirou-san's side." With the adorable expression on Asia's face, that was all it took to finish Mako-nee off.

Mako-nee looked like she'd been hit right in the heart before hunching over.

"Fine...I'll allow this home stay to be bride training as well." Mako-nee then stood straight, a determined look on her face and her eyes filled with tears. "Rias Gremory, you can count on me to watch over Asia-chan!"

"Thank you very much, Onee-sama. Shirou. I will leave Asia's care to you from now on. Asia, you will be staying with Shirou at his home. So make sure not to be impolite. Get along with Shirou's Onee-sama."

Asia nodded, but seemed uncertain. "Is it really alright? Won't it…be a burden…if I stay…?" I patted Asia on the head, causing her to turn to me, surprised.

My cheeks pinked a bit. "Baka. You're one of my precious comrades now. It's no bother for me to help take care of you." I grinned. "Besides, I did promise you that I'd teach you about Japanese culture and lifestyle..." I turned away, frowning. "...and hopefully you won't end up like a certain offensively ignorant Sengoku nut..."

"What?"

"Nothing." Asia could only learn so much at school about Japanese culture. Perhaps a normal home experience would do her some good...although me and Mako-nee aren't exactly the most NORMAL family...

"Well-"

"Do not worry, Asia-chan!" Mako-nee said with stars in her eyes. "You can depend on your new Onee-sama to take care of you forever! You will make my Baka-otouto an excellent bride!"

"Wait a second!" I interjected. "You said I was getting kicked out when I turned 18! What gives?!"

Mako-nee appeared beside Asia, hugging her gently and narrowing her eyes at me. "Well maybe if you were born an absolutely abdorable and polite girl rather than an annoying delinquent, I would tolerate your lazy ass for much longer."

"What'd you say?!"

Then the storm of hostility became focused between me and Mako-nee, the sibling battle for dominance continuing from where it last left off.

"Please don't fight..." Asia pleaded. Then Mako-nee and I immediately broke off our soon-to-be battle due to Asia's cuteness, our heads hung in shame.

"Ah! So peaceful-natured, Asia-chan!" Mako-nee said with joy. "You'll definitely make my Baka-otouto a wonderful bride!" And then me and Mako-nee were arguing again. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a sad expression on Buchou's face.

"Bride, huh..."

"Are you alright, Buchou?" Sakura whispered quietly.

Buchou turned to the violet-haired snake-girl and managed a small smile. "Yes. Everything's fine..."

But I didn't believe her...I wanted so badly to know what was troubling Buchou...

* * *

I spent a fair majority of that night just staring at the ceiling.

I wasn't sure why I was troubled with going to sleep...perhaps I was STILL being troubled by that dream.

I mean...I admit I've truly felt a romantic spark between one or two girls over the years, but my heart always belonged to _her_.

But...lately, I couldn't help but feel strange around Buchou. I liked Buchou very much. She was really nice to me and it's thanks to her that I've finally been able to feel accepted by both the ORC and my human friends. I was so happy...but I wanted to see her as nothing more than a friend and master because I was already in love with somebody...

...I still couldn't help it...Why did I have to have that damn dream?

I sighed. "Forget it. I'm just gonna kill myself thinking about this. Maybe things will be clearer in the morning." I closed my eyes, ready to drift off to sleep.

Fate had other plans however.

As I slowly began to descend into dream land, I was interrupted by a powerful light that caused me to open my eyes.

I sat up and glared at the glowing seal on the ground. "Alright, who's-" Then my eyes widened.

It was OUR GROUP'S mark! The insignia of the Gremory group!

I was even more shocked by the person who appeared out of the circle.

"Buchou...?" I asked in a tired tone of voice. "I think you teleported into the wrong room. If you're looking for Asia or Mako-nee, they're about two doors down."

Buchou had a strange expression on her face that I didn't understand. She shook her head.

"I'm not here for them. I'm here for you."

I yawned, my eyes slowly sliding closed. "Well, whatever it is, can't it wait til morning?"

"I need you to take my virginity!" Buchou beseeched me, her tone desperate.

.

.

.

.

I stared at Buchou. "...I'm sorry. Could you repeat that? I think my hearing's a little off right now."

"I need you to take my virginity and quickly." Buchou then began to unbutton her top, seeming desperate to undress quickly.

I blinked, my face red. "Ah. That's what I thought you said." I clicked my tongue several times, closing my eyes with a pensive expression on my face. "Buchou, whatever's going on, I highly doubt it's going to be fixed by having me...erm...'pop your cherry'."

Buchou smiled lightly, but she shook her head. "No. This is the ONLY way. I HAVE to do this." Her words sounded genuine and I couldn't help but worry what situation was serious enough that she had to make me take her virginity to fix it.

I crossed my arms into an 'X', my face beginning to steam as I turned away from Buchou. My heart was starting to beat against my rip cage, ready to bust out.

"T-Time out! I'm not having sex with you, ESPECIALLY you, Buchou! B-Besides, why can't Kiba do this?!"

I didn't realize my words until I noticed Buchou's eye twitched a little. By that point she was standing in front of me with a lacy black bra and panties. I think I may have insulted her a little bit.

"N-No! That came out wrong! I-I mean you're absolutely beautiful and everything, drop dead gorgeous in fact! I-I would be honored and everything, but-it's just-I mean-!"

Buchou approached me, her chest shaking slightly with each movement. "…Yuuto won't do. He is a pure knight. He would decline it for sure. That's why you were the only one possible, Shirou."

I felt my self-esteem shrink a little at the thought of being a last resort...I think that's what she meant anyway.

I blushed even more deeply as Buchou placed her hands on my shoulders.

GAAAH! I can't take this anymore!

I grabbed Buchou's shoulders and turned my gaze to the ground to avoid a potential nosebleed.

"Besides...what's wrong with me? Aren't I good enough for you?" Her voice shook slightly and I glimpsed upward to see a sad expression on Buchou's face. That caused a terrible feeling of guilt in my gut.

I carefully sat Buchou down beside me, ensuring a gap between us to prevent anymore possible ecchi situations.

I let my arms rest by my side for a moment before grabbing the sides of my head, ready to explode by the numerous emotions I was feeling. "I...I can't."

"What exactly is wrong with me?" Buchou asked, her sad tone matching her expression.

"Nothing!" I said quickly. "You're a beautiful, intelligent, and incredibly kind-hearted girl. You're one of the best people I've ever met, Buchou. And THAT is why I can't do it." I sighed. "I just...I don't believe this is the best way to get rid of whatever problem you have. It's not right and it wouldn't be right for me to indulge you in your plan." That was ONE of the reasons.

"I thought you said you would gladly do anything for me..." Buchou said in a pleading tone, a last attempt to get me to change my mind. She was referring to the time after I defeated Raynare where I pledged my eternal loyalty to her.

"Well I didn't exactly expect you to teleport into my room and ask me to take your virginity." I defended. "So sorry. There has to be another way to solve your problem."

Buchou shook her head. "I've thought of all kinds of ideas, but this is the only method left. If I don't do this now, I will have failed."

"Wait wait wait!" I interrupted her. That thing she just said irritated me. "That's not true! You don't fail when you've run out of options. There's always a better way no matter the situation. You've only truly failed when you've given up looking." I stared at her sadly. "It helps if you have help. I won't have sex with you, Buchou, but I want to help you somehow." I assured her. "But I can't help you if you tell don't tell me what's wrong." I gently grabbed Buchou's hand, blushing lightly. "Please let me help you, Buchou." My heart was racing for so many different reasons.

Buchou stared into my eyes, no doubt surprised. "Shirou, I..."

I then tensed. A strange chill ran down my spine. "Someone's coming." I don't know how I knew.

I just did. And I was right.

There was another large flash of light a moment later, this time an older woman appearing from the magic-circle. She had silver hair and wore what appeared to be a maid's outfit. She looked at Buchou and me for a moment and I immediately knew that I didn't want to piss this woman off.

It was a strange feeling I had sometimes around people who were strong. I knew that I was nowhere near as strong as this woman and she could possiby crush me like an insect.

"Are you trying to break the agreement by doing something like this?"

Buchou sighed, glancing at me and leaving me with the feeling I was missing something.

"It didn't work anyway, so what does it matter?" I felt both relieved yet guilty, as if I had failed Buchou somehow.

"Both Sirzechs-sama and the master will become sad after they find out that you tried to give your purity to some lowly person like this."

I stared at the ground, a little put down by was another reason I refused Buchou's virginity...I technically DID qualify as 'lowly'. Delinquent. Beast. Battle-maniac. All of these described me. I wouldn't take Buchou's virginity which belonged to the person she deems to be her true love.

"My purity is mine only. What's wrong with giving it to someone whom I acknowledged?" Buchou asked, causing me to feel a little bit better. "Also don't call my cute servant lowly. Even if it's you, I won't forgive you, Grayfia."

Buchou...you're truly kind to a lowly servant like me. Even if it's true, you still defended me.

The woman now identified as Grayfia handed Buchou back her shirt. Buchou then began to redress herself.

"Anyway, you are the next heiress of the House of Gremory, so please don't show your skin to a man recklessly. Even more so if you are in the middle of this situation." She then looked at me and bowed her head. "How do you do? I'm a maid that serves the House of Gremory. My name is Grayfia. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

I bowed my head back. "Fujimura Shirou. I am the first and only [Pawn] of my master, Rias Gremory. It's a pleasure to meet you."

I know she kinda called me lowly, but I should still keep a polite tongue. When someone gives you their name, you should give them yours in return.

The woman regarded me for a moment, a strange sense of surprise emanating from her.

"Is this person...?" I honestly never expected her calm and collected expression to become surprise of all things.

Buchou nodded. "Yes. He is the wielder of the recently evolved [Boosted Gear], now called [Blade Genesis]."

"...The one possessed by the Emperor of Dragons...And somehow evolved by his power..." She looked at me, still surprised by my existence I suppose. "...Fujimura...like-?" She shook her head, cutting herself off from mentioning something in my presence.

"Grayfia, let's go back to my room." Buchou said. "I will listen to what you have to say over there. Akeno can also attend, right?"

"The "Priestess of Thunder"? I don't mind. It's a must for High-class Devils to have their [Queen] by their side all the time."

I was hopelessly lost at that moment. I still didn't know what was troubling Buchou and now...I was just so lost right now.

"Very well. Shirou." Buchou called me. I barely had time to register Buchou kissing me on the cheek. My face once again lit up a bright red color even though I was completely calm a moment ago. My heart was ready to explode from the sudden excitement.

No no no no! Stop it, me! Don't feel happy because of Buchou's minor affection!

"Please forgive me for today with this kiss." Buchou apologized. "I troubled you a lot. Let's meet again in the clubroom tomorrow."

A few seconds after that, she departed with Grayfia in the magic-circle.

When they were gone, I immediately laid down on my bed again.

I was exhausted all of a sudden.

I touched the cheek that Buchou had kissed.

Ddraig...That was either the smartest thing I've ever done...or the stupidest...maybe both.

[I'll be honest. I'm surprised at your willpower.]

…Yeah, well...I would like to find some way to feel happy, but let's face it. I just blocked myself.

[I'll admit it wasn't the best method if you planned on conquering that woman...]

Shut up. It isn't like I planned on wooing and screwing her...I think I...

[What?]

Just...nothing...

Denying any kind of weird feeling I felt around Buchou, I chose to just get some sleep finally.

* * *

**The Next Day...**

"Shit shit shit shiiiiiiit!" I was running as fast as my legs could carry me to the ORC clubroom.

I was very, very, very, VERY late!

I had told Buchou I would meet her at the clubroom the next day, but I ended up getting cornered by some thugs after school and...I kinda got carried away. Long story short, with all the guys on the ground except me, the cops who arrived thought I was the bad guy so I bolted.

I slammed the door open, bowing my head in apology. "Sorry I'm late, Buchou! I-" I raised my head and was cut off when I noticed an unfamiliar face who stood out amongst the ORC members and Grayfia, sitting next to Buchou. The unfamiliar individual in question had medium-length blonde hair that fell annoying perfect and a handsome face that seemed to hold an invisible sign for me saying: Please punch my face, Shirou. Punch it with everything you got. The confident and smug look on his face didn't help. He was dressed in a pair of black stylish pants and a red button-up shirt which was open to show off his chest.

I regarded him for a moment before turning to Buchou. "So...who's the playboy wannabe?"

That earned me a snort from Dohnaseek and Kalawarner, a surprised squeak from Asia, giggles from Yuuma, Akeno-san, Mittelt, and Sakura, a small smile from Koneko-chan and Kiba, and finally an unrepentant yet ladylike grin from Rias.

The playboy wannabe, however, looked at me contempt. "Who do you think you are?"

"I'm the delivery boy." I said with a joking smile. "I'm here to deliver one ass-kicking if you don't get away from Buchou. Quick lesson, man: When a girl looks at you the way she does, she clearly doesn't want you touching her and may be seconds away from blowing chunks."

This illicited another round of hidden smiles.

Really, I was angry. I didn't know who this guy was, but he pissed me off so much.

The blonde sneered and stood up before approaching me. When we were face to face, he clearly tried looking much taller than he was. "I don't care who you think you are, you low class Devil. My dear Rias is my fiancee. I'm allowed to do what I want with her."

The corner of my mouth twitched, my anger increasing at the disrespect this bastard was showing Buchou. "Apparently you have a twisted definition of the word, fiancee. I wonder how stupid you would have to be to not know what it means, you host club reject."

And then his anger became present as well. "My name is Riser Phenex of the Phenex clan, you peon."

I mockingly applauded him. "Oh. Peon? I will admit that's a new one. Up to this point, I've been called an A-hole, bastard, delinquent, freak, jackass, and several other names I don't feel comfortable mentioning in front of any of the women present here, but 'peon' is definitely a new one." I smiled. "How long did you spend remembering its meaning, preparing for the day you could triumph over a sixteen-year-old?"

That was once again said in a mocking tone.

The playboy clenched his fists, what appeared to be flames appearing on it. "Do you KNOW who you're antagonizing?"

There was a long silence between us.

"An asshole?" I guessed mockingly. "So anyway, if it's not too much of a bother, could you please leave and never come back so I don't have to smash your face into the wall?"

I couldn't keep my killing intent hidden anymore so I decided to move on with the threats.

Riser raised his somewhat flaming fist. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't destroy you right now?"

I grinned, liking where this was heading. If he threw the first punch, I was justified in kicking his ass.

"Oh, so you have fire powers too?"I asked. "Then if you're from the 'phoenix' clan, then this makes you a flaming yakitori." The flames around Riser's fist seemed to increase slightly in strength.

"Riser-sama, Fujimura-san, I would prefer it if the two of you do not fight." Grayfia's voice interrupted the two of us and put an end to the start of a possible fight between me and the yakitori playboy.

I did my best to pull off an innocent smile, trying to wash away the killing intent that just radiated from my body a moment ago. "What? I would NEVER raise a hand against ANYONE in such a peaceful surrounding."

Everyone other than the yakitori and Grayfia sweatdropped, shaking their heads slightly.

Yeah, that was fair. I was a bit of a battle-maniac after all.

Though he was still pissed, Riser released a breath and smiled calmly towards Grayfia. "If the Ultimate Queen asks me not to fight, then how can I disagree?"

Grayfia regarded me with a look that told me she easily saw through my bullshit and then turned to Riser. "If everyone has calmed down, then we can get back to business."

Oh yeah. They were talking about something before I came.

Buchou gave me a grateful look that made everything I said worth it. She then turned to Grayfia.

"I've said it countless times, Grayfia. I _will not_ marry Riser!"

"Ojou-sama, it was something your father and Lord Phoenix agreed upon."

Buchou crossed her arms stubbornly, shooting a hate-filled glare at Riser who returned with a cocky smile. "I don't care if it's what they decided. I refuse to marry _him_."

Grayfia released a sigh. "It seems I have no choice" This led to Buchou giving her a silent questioning look. "Sirzechs-sama said to give you a chance to get out of the engagement, should you still be against it."

"Nii-sama?" Buchou questioned. I didn't know who Sirzechs was, but I already saw him as an okay guy if he was willing to give his sister a way out.

Grayfia nodded. "Yes. In the event you're still against the wedding, you'd be permitted to play a Rating Game against Riser-sama." This caused Buchou's eyes to widen. "Should you win, you'd be able to go on without the wedding, no more pushing from either family. However, if you lose, the wedding will continue regardless."

Rather than the look of relief or determination I expected, Buchou had an angry look. "In other words Otou-sama and the others decided to have a game as a last resort if I was to decline, right? …Just how far are they intending to interfere with my life to feel satisfied...!" Her angry killing intent was kind of hot.

"Then Ojou-sama, you are saying you would also decline to participate in the game?"

Bucho shook her head. "No, I won't, since this is a chance. Alright then. Let's settle this with a game, Raiser."

Riser smirked. "Hee, so you're accepting it. I don't mind." My hatred for the bastard only increased more. "But I'm already a matured Devil and I have already participated in the official game. Right now I have won most of the games. Even so, you still want to play, Rias?"

"I will. I will blow you away, Raiser!" Buchou declared determinedly.

"Fine. If you win, do whatever you like. But if I win, you will marry me immediately."

The two High-class Devils glared at one another. I was mentally rooting for Buchou's glare to burn the stupid yakitori to ashes.

"Understood. I, Grayfia, have confirmed both sides opinion. I will be in charge of the game between the two household. Is that okay?"

"Yes."

"Yeah."

Both [Kings] agreed.

Grayfia bowed her head. "Understood. I will inform the two households then."

Despite the situation that I did not fully understand because I arrived late, I was a little excited. I would be competing in a Rating Game, something I shouldn't be allowed to do until I was a mature Devil! I was going to be allowed to beat down that shitty yakitori-guy without consequence! That was icing on the cake!

Riser looked at me and the others before smirking. God (OW!), I hated that smirk of his.

"Hey, Rias. Would the ones here be your servants?" He gave a look of contempt at the Fallen Angels in the room. "Even them?"

Buchou's eyes twitched at the implied insult. "The Fallen Angels are here due to an agreement between the house of Gremory and the Fallen Angel Governor due to certain circumstances." That explained why no other Devils questioned the presence of Fallen Angels mixed with the Devils. "And so what if the others are my servants?"

Riser burst into laughter, returning the mocking I gave him earlier. "Then this match will be a laugh. Only your [Queen], the "Priestess of Thunder" can fight on par with my adorable servants." He shot me a glare. "Although, I will enjoy destroying the smartass personally."

I growled at the bastard's underestimation of my abilities. I was going to enjoy kicking his ass.

Riser then snapped his fingers, causing the magic-circle on the ground to glow. An emblem that I assumed to be that of the house of Phenex appeared. Then figures began to rise from circle.

"Well, these are my cute servants."

I counted at least fifteen women, each and every one dressed in rather fetishistic outfits.

Damn, he really was a playboy and I was admittedly somewhat jealous. I hid it well though.

"Do you see the difference between us, Rias? I have a full fifteen while you only have six."

I clicked my tongue. "You clearly don't understand the game of chess if that's all you have to say, Riser." The yakitori gave me a slightly confused look. "In chess, even if you have less pieces than your opponent, you still have an equal chance of victory as long as you use your pieces wisely. Since a Rating Game is based on chess, the only real advantage you seem to have over us is your numbers. You lack REAL strength."

I think I just insulted Riser and every single one of the girls beside him in one go judging from the angry looks I got.

"Of course what did I expect of trash like you?" I asked rhetorically. "I doubt you've done nothing with them. I also doubt that you'll stop doing things with them even if you marry Buchou. That's why you'll never be good enough to be with Buchou." I pointed a finger at Riser, summoning up [Blade Genesis] in case things got ugly. "I WON'T LET YOU LAY A HAND ON HER! YOU STUPID WOMANIZING YAKITORIIIII!"

Riser's face became red with rage. "Y-You Low-class Deeeeevil! Don't get ahead of yourself! That's not the way you talk to a High-class Devil! Rias, what's going on with your discipline towards your servants!?"

Buchou turned the other way, hiding her smile at my words. "I didn't see anything."

I grinned. "I believe that means 'Go to Hell'." I raised the arm that bore [Blade Genesis]. "Just tell me where you want your ass-kicking. I always deliver in thirty minutes or less."

Riser glared daggers at me. "You low-class Devil, how DARE you look down on me? I'll teach you your place in your master's stead. " He gestured towards me. "Mira, break him."

A young girl dressed in a white haori and a white obi along with a red happi above them stepped forward. Her blue hair was tied in four short pony tails. She carried a wooden staff with white knobs at either end. "Yes, Riser-sama."

I spread my arms to the side, quickly creating two swords. "Kanshou! Bakuya!" The yin and yang swords appeared out of thin air.

The staff-wielding girl lunged forward.

"Master!" There was a sudden flash of violet and I saw someone get flying.

My eyes widened as I turned around.

There was Sakura, clutching her stomach in immense pain, laying on the ground. Her expression clearly showed her pain. Asia quickly crouched down and activated her Sacred Gear to heal the violet-haired snake-girl.

"Sa...kur...a..." My voice was broken as I looked at my downed familiar.

Sakura had been hurt...Riser's [Pawn] had hit her with that blow...I didn't see it coming, but Sakura had and she...she took the hit for me...

Something snapped inside of me. I turned and stared at Riser's [Pawn] with absolute hatred in my eyes.

She backed away, sweating slightly. "Y-You're this pissed over a stupid familiar?!"

And that just about sealed her fate. SHE WAS GOING DOWN!

This time I lunged forward. She swung her staff at me, striking me in the arm. But that left her open.

With my free hand, I grabbed the end of her staff, holding on tight no matter how much Mira tried to retake her weapon. I raised my other fist that was covered in [Blade Genesis], reinforcing it as much as I could. I poured every last bit of my power and killing intent into my left fist.

"DON'T FUCK WITH MY FRIENDS, YOU BASTAAAAAAAARDS!" I threw one punch, slamming my fist into her stomach. She coughed out what could've been either saliva or blood, but I sent her flying past Riser, only being stopped when one of the other girls managed to catch her. The impact of catching Mira almost knocked them off their feet though.

I glared at all of Riser's group. "Who's next?!" I resummoned Kanshou and Bakuya again. "I'll defeat every single one of you!"

Riser laughed at my claim. "Don't get arrogant, brat. The one you just fought was Mira, my [Pawn]. She was the weakest of my servants."

My rage was still boiling my blood. I had to keep myself from going on a killing spree right there. Such a thing would be looked down upon.

The damned Yakitori-guy turned to Buchou. "Rias, how about we have a match in 10 days?" He asked. "We could do it now, but that wouldn't be interesting."

FUCKER! He's still looking down on me!

That only increased the amount of rage inside my body. I was pretty sure my organs were beginning to melt from me overheating.

"…Are you giving me a handicap." Buchou asked, suspiciously.

"Are you against it? Is it humiliating?" Riser asked. "[Rating Game] isn't something simple that you can win with only your feelings. If you can't use your servant's power to the fullest, then you will lose immediately. So it's not weird for you to train with your servants for your first [Rating Game]. I have seen Devils who lost without using their power to the fullest countless of times, no matter how great their potential and power was."

Buchou said nothing to respond and simply listened.

"-10 days. If it's you, then you should be able to improve your servants." He then turned to me. "Don't be a disgrace to Rias, Rias's [Pawn]. Your blow is Rias's blow. And..." His gaze began filled with killing intent. "When we meet in the [Rating game], I will certainly pay you back for your insults."

I shot him an equally hate-filled look. "I'm looking forward to it."

Riser turned one last time to Buchou. "Rias, the next time we meet will be at the game."

He and his peerage then vanished into the magic-circle.

"I'll definitely kick your ass, you stupid yakitori playboy." I said after he had gone. I was still filled with rage, but a more pressing matter entered my mind. I turned back to my downed familiar. "Sakura!"

I knelt by her side as Asia finished healing her. "Are you alright?"

Sakura smiled, still somewhat in pain. "I'm glad...that you're okay, Master." I rubbed her head gently as a reward for her brave act. She seemed to genuinely enjoy it.

"It's all thanks to you..." I was trembling at the thought of my part in Sakura's injury. "Buchou...during the next ten days, I'll definitely get stronger...I'm going to get stronger so I can beat that yakitori..."

"I wouldn't mind seeing you teach that brat a lesson." Dohnaseek admitted.

"The bastard..." Yuuma muttered under her breath, staring at Sakura's downed form.

Kalawarner placed a hand on my shoulder.

Mittelt growled. "Don't just stand here being sad! Get your asses in gear and go start your training!"

"Mittelt-san!" Asia said in shock.

I shook my head. "No. She's right. Every minute wasted here is a minute that could be spent training." I then turned to face the others and sighed, scratching my cheek. "Sorry. You all saw a very ugly side of me back there."

Buchou nodded, understanding. "It's alright, Shirou."

I clenched my fists at my side. "But we really are outmatched. I only won against Mira because I was too pissed to notice any pain. So, Kiba, Akeno-san, Koneko-chan, Buchou, Asia...let's all get strong together. Let's smash that yakitori into the dirt!" I converted all of my remaining rage and sorrow into burning determination.

One by one, they all smiled a little and nodded. ""Right.""

"Also, Asia..." I turned to Asia.

She stared at me in confusion. "What is it, Shirou-san?"

I chuckled awkwardly, scratching my head with my left hand. "Could you heal my right arm? I think that last attack from Mira kind of broke it." I winced. "I only didn't notice before because adrenaline was rushing through my body...but now it kinda hurts...Hehehe..."

Everyone sweatdropped.

There was a chorus of ""Idiot"" from Dohnaseek, Mittelt, and Koneko-chan.

I was an idiot. I was weak too.

One of these problems was going to be resolved over the next ten days.

**Finito~! I am DONE! The first chapter of the Riser arc is officially finished! It took me a bit, but I got this shite done~! I kinda did that part about Shirou being late because all of that dialogue about Devil families and stuff kind of bored me. So yep...**

**The real stuff starts next chapter~!**

**Thanks for the reads and reviews~!**

**Bye-Bye~!**


	13. Chapter 12: Mountain Training

****And it's time for some mountain training~! There'll be a bit of a time skip since where we last left off~! On with the story~!****

****Disclaimer: I own nothing except OC's****

****Chapter 12:****

****Mountain Training****

"So THAT'S why your folks are trying to make you marry Riser..." I was walking beside Buchou, carrying an insanely large number of bags on my back. We were heading up to a training camp up in the mountains for the next ten days so we could train for the [Rating Game] against Riser.

I had missed quite a bit of the situation since I arrived late the other day, so I had Buchou explain to me the FULL situation and how it got started. With the number of Pure-blooded Devils becoming low due to the big war between the three factions hundreds of years ago, Buchou's father made a deal with Riser's father that Buchou and Riser would get married...an attempt to repopulate the Pure-bloods.

The thought of that bastard yakitori 'repopulating the pure-bloods' with Buchou only made me want to knock his teeth in even more.

Buchou nodded as we made our way up the mountain. "That's why it's very important to me that we win this [Rating Game]."

"Well you can definitely count on me, Buchou." I assured her with a smile. Buchou smiled back.

In reality, the bags on my back were heavy as Hell, but I was already the weak link. I wasn't going to let everyone down even further.

"Are you sure it's okay for me to be up here, master?"

I looked up at the passenger who sat atop the bags. Her chest was wrapped up. Perhaps it was a bit of an overreaction on my part, but after the injury Sakura received, I didn't want her stressing her body at all. Even with Asia's healing, injuries could still be re-opened.

I smiled. "Of course. After all, it's supposed to be MY training. I can't lose to Kiba or Koneko-chan."

I looked at the two mentioned servants and felt a little envious of their strength. If I always had that strength, then Sakura wouldn't have gotten hurt before.

"Buchou, I gathered some herbs." Kiba said as he walked up to us, smiling calmly. "Let's use it for the meal tonight." I was impressed he had both the stamina and the time to gather those herbs.

My eyes lit up. "Leave it to me! If it's a seasoning or ingredient in some way, then I can definitely cook it into something tasty!" If there was one thing I could certainly take pride in, it was my cooking skills. With Mako-nee's poison being the usual dish cooked everyday, I had to learn to cook in order to survive.

Kiba smiled at me. "Alright then. I'll leave it to you, Shirou-kun."

"…See you later." Koneko-chan walked right past both of us, not bothering to start conversation.

AH! I was so focused on talking that I had forgotten the goal.

"As iiiiiif!" I started running as fast as my legs would allow. "I won't end up behind everyone!"

I could hear Sakura singing 'Wheeeeeee~!' as I ran up all of the many stairs towards the top of the mountain where our destination laid.

I couldn't start my training by ending up last to camp behind all of my Devil seniors.

It took me a total of ten minutes to reach the top...

Then I tripped on the last step and fell face-first.

Stairs. One of my greatest enemies. Once I'm finished with Riser, I will be back for YOU.

* * *

I had to admit that the mansion at the top was pretty impressive. As expected of the great Gremory clan. It was made from wood and it had a type of home-y feel to it.

I put away all of the bags I was carrying (still thinking the amount was a bit much for only ten days).

The girls had all gone upstairs to change into clothes more appropriate for training.

"I will also go and get changed." Kiba said as he walked past me carrying a blue jersey. He then winked jokingly. "Don't peek."

I sighed, shaking my head. "Kiba, I know you mean well, but I am tired and seriously considering kicking your ass. You got ten seconds to leave." He apparently thought I was joking. "Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven. Si-" I cracked my knuckles...And then Kiba left.

I sighed and decided to change in the now-empty room since it would be a waste of time to go upstairs when the room was already clear. It would only take a minute to get changed. I started with my shirt, taking it off and ready to change into my jersey.

"Oh wow that's hot..."

"Heehee~"

"..."

I frowned, dropping my shirt on the floor. I quickly searched around the room, confused. "Did I just...?" I could've sworn I heard someone.

I shrugged. Maybe it's just Buchou and the girls talking about something...Hopefully I just heard words completely out of context.

I looked down at the ground and my eyes widened. My jersey AND my shirt were missing!

"What the Hell?!" I glared in the direction Kiba walked in."Kiba, did you take my jersey?!"

"No!" He called back from the room. He sounded confused by my question. "Did you drop it somewhere?!"

I frowned again, looking around the room. There was a couch...I crouched down and put my head against the floor, trying to see if I subconsciously flung my jersey under there.

"Holy shit that's a hot ass!"

"I can kinda get why you find him attractive, Kala-chan~"

"...nice..."

"Hey, there's more than just his obviously gorgeous body!"

"SHHH! Be quiet! He'll hear us!"

I shot up, alert and quickly looking around the room. That time I was certain I heard something.

"Smooth move, Kala!"

"Me?! It was you-Shit." By that point I had noticed the only closet in the room was where the voices seemed to originate from. "OK. Nobody make another sound..."

I sighed. "Whoever's in this room, come out before I hunt you down and knock your lights out!"

There was silence.

So that's how they wanted to play it.

I quickly started stomping my feet, hiding behind the couch, stomping much more slowly and quietly after several seconds.

Then I stayed absolutely silent for several seconds.

"Is the coast clear?"

"...Don't know...I'm scared..."

"Sssshhh. There there, Ray-chan. Shirou may be kind of brute-like sometimes, but he's really cute like a puppy."

My eye twitched. I WAS NOT CUTE!

I silently walked over to the closet...Then I punched my fist clean through the material. I clung my hand to the other end of the closet and gave a firm yank, completely breaking the door off its hinges and tossing it to the side. I was radiating killing intent.

"Who's-!" I blinked twice at the sight I saw, trying to process.

Sitting crouched on the floor of the closet were the three females of the Fallen Angel ORC members.

All three stared up at me. They quickly blushed.

"Wow...It looks even better up close."

"...So big..."

"Definitely a keeper~!"

I blushed deeply covering my torso, trying to ignore how embarrassing those comments sounded out of context. "W-What?!" I then noticed that Kalawarner was holding my jersey in her lap, hugging it like some kind of security blanket. "How did you even-?! Give me that!" I snatched my jersey back, my face was absolutely red. "Y-You perverts! You were peeping at me?!" I then thought about what I just said. "Well, honestly. It's actually a little bit flattering."

"You're welcome, sexy~" I hit Mittelt on the head for that one. She rubbed the aching bump on her head.

I was still blushing. "W-Were you trying to see me naked?!"

I noticed Yuuma cowering behind Kalawarner, but decided that they'd all get an equal shouting at.

"Would you be angry if we said yes?" Kalawarner asked, smiling slyly.

I pondered the answer to that question. "What are you three even doing here?!"

"Buchou sent us here yesterday to make sure the mansion was still in good condition." Kalawarner explained.

"And boy what good condition it was in~!" Mittelt sang. "I mean with the outdoor baths and-" She was silenced with a squeak as Kalawarner elbowed her on the stomach.

"..." Yuuma shrank even further away from me.

There were so many things I could say in that situation. I wasn't quite sure how to even react. I could say something perverted, but that would just get me smacked right across the face for no reason.

"Could you just go so I can get changed?" I asked tiredly after a few minutes of silence.

Kalawarner shrugged, smiling slightly. She started standing up. "Well, I supp-" Her expression changed to shock as her foot got caught on something, causing her to trip forward and slam right into me.

"Kalawarner!"

We both ended up tumbling backwards. I hit the back of my head against the floor hard.

When the world stopped spinning after I opened my eyes, I realized I was staring right into Kalawarner's eyes...and I felt something soft and warm pressing against my li-Oh my Maou.

W-We...K-Kalawarner and I...we...lips...did...us...K-K-KIIIIIIISSSS!

Mine and Kalawarner's lips had accidentally been pressed together when we fell and w-we...j-just...

We were both too shocked to stop or move at all.

"...Pervert." The voice of the familiar loli left me completely surprised, squeaking a little into Kalawarner's mouth. Kalawarner was the first to react to Koneko-chan's voice, blushing lightly as she sat up on top of me, leaving the mistaken impression she was straddling me in order to do more ecchi things.

Koneko-chan was staring down at me, dressed in clothes suited for training, meeting my own gaze.

"K-Koneko-chan!" I panicked. "O-OK! I KNOW what this looks like, but I swear on my sister's life that it's not what you think! PLEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAASE don't tell Buchou!"

Koneko-chan seemed to ponder my words. My eyes widened as we both realized what I just said.

"I-I mean d-don't tell the others and-"

"OK." Was Koneko-chan's response.

I blinked. "E-Eh? Really?" Koneko-chan nodded. I get the strange feeling she had gathered some sort of idea from my not wanting Buchou to find out and was therefore willing to help just this once.

Kalawarner sighed, scratching her head. "It really was an accident..." She then smiled teasingly. "But I will admit you ARE a good kisser Shirou-kun~!"

I felt my face heat up. "S-Shut uuuup! D-Don't say such things that'll lead to misunderstandings!" I looked away. "C-Could you please get up so I can finally finish changing?"

Kalawarner stuck out her tongue slightly as she obliged.

I once again gave Koneko-chan my gratitude for keeping this quiet as I changed into my jersey. With the other girls around, I wasn't going to risk changing into sweat pants so I would just stick to my normal jean pants.

I suppose that's why you don't bother trying to change in the living room. Even when you're alone, you're never really alone...Don't ask. It makes more sense if you don't think about it.

It wasn't too long after that that the others started to reconvene in the living room.

Buchou was wearing a red jersey and she...she looked so pretty...

NO! Bad Shirou! Keep your mind focused!

Buchou smiled with that beautiful smile of hers...

"Now then let's start our training outside right away."

Aye aye, Buchou!

* * *

****Lesson 1: Sword training with Kiba.****

Kiba and I both wielded our respective bokken. Of course I was the one who started us off, swinging my bokken like crazy at him, trying to find an opening to get a hit in. He dodged several of my swipes and parried others.

I could see why he was a [Knight]. I had only recently started using swords because of [Blade Genesis], but I am not a professional swordsman. My swordsmanship was shoddy at best and I had no real technique. The only thing I had was brute force and perhaps strategy...

To Kiba it looked like I was just circling around him because the force of my own attacks was making me move, but in reality, I was circling him, trying to find a weak point in his defenses. With only one normal sword, there was no way I could possibly counter Kiba's superior defense and speed...

So I would win through tactics.

I backed away from Kiba by a few inches. I stabbed the edge of my sword into the ground and with a slight growl, I dragged the sword forward before swinging it upwards, tossing whatever dirt and rocks had been above the tip into the air and towards Kiba.

Kiba, reacting purely on instinct, quickly used his sword to bat away several of the rocks that had been flying towards him.

I grinned, realizing this was the perfect chance. I charged forwards, getting ready to swing my sword at Kiba.

But apparently I underestimated the Knight's speed. I had been a second too slow because Kiba had recovered just in time to block my strike with his own sword.

He still didn't seem to be using any effort. With a final swing of his sword, Kiba hit my own bokken out of my hands, into the air, and letting it land behind me.

I fell to my knees, panting. "OK...so far the score's 21 to 0 in your favor...Best...22 out of 43..."

Kiba chuckled awkwardly. "Maybe you should take a breather." I shook my head, standing up straight again.

"No. I gotta keep going until I get better. Let's try again." I walked back over to where my bokken had fallen and picked it up, pointing it at Kiba. "You ready?"

Kiba smiled a little, I'd like to say it was because he admired my determination rather than my stubbornness. He readied his sword. "Very well then..."

As I swung my sword and me and Kiba exchanged blows, I couldn't help but truly notice the gap between us. If it wasn't for [Blade Genesis], I would be helpless. That wouldn't do. No matter what, I was going to close this gap and surpass everyone else. I was definitely going to become faster and stronger than Kiba!

"That's not it. Don't just look at the opponent's sword movements but also widen your line of vision so you can pay see both the opponent and the surroundings."

SHUT UP, STUPID PRINCE! I'M GOING TO PUMMEL YOU!

I managed to bump up my score to 1 on technicality and in the end Kiba chose to reset the score after we stopped.

But there was more training to follow...

* * *

****Lesson 2: Demonic-power training with Akeno-san.****

"That's not it. You're getting close. You have to gather the demonic-power by drifting the aura that covers your whole body. You have to concentrate and feel the wave of demonic-power."

Akeno-san, wearing her own black jersey, was currently having her own magic-teaching class.

I wasn't THAT bad, but I only managed to make my ball of demonic energy with the size of a golf ball. I think it was my concentration that was really lacking. Wanting to speed things up, I tried pouring a lot of energy into the sphere like I would with reinforcing something with [Blade Genesis], but once it reached the size of a football, it would sputter and dissipate.

What am I lacking?!

I was growing more and more annoyed with myself with eaching passing second.

I know it was so easy for Akeno-san because she was a [Queen] who focused on magical attacks, but I was hoping it would be as easy as she made it seem to be.

"Why isn't this working?" I asked to myself after my latest attempt at creating a sphere disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"It's okay, master." Sakura assured me, still calling me "master" when we weren't in school. "You just need to try a bit harder..."

I sighed. "Maybe you're right..."

"Yeah, master...Master's great!" I resisted the instinctive flinch when I heard Suu who was standing (for lack of a better work to describe her unshaped gelatinous lower body) next to Sakura. I've also been working on my slime-phobia. I'm getting better and better at not cowering in fear when Suu was around, but it's still a work in progress. I had taken to having her wear a yellow raincoat to hide her breasts since no other article of clothing could survive the moisture of her body and just slid right off her.

"I did it!" Asia cheered, holding a ball of green demonic energy the size of a softball. While I was depressed about my own lack of ability, Asia's energy was beautiful.

"Ara ara. So Asia-chan has talent in using demonic-powers after all." Akeno complimented, causing Asia's face to redden because of her shyness. Akeno-san then continued her lesson as I focused on still trying to create an energy ball. "Now lets change those demonic-power into fire, water and lightning. You can make this by imagining it, however, it will be easier for beginners to actually move fire and water using their demonic-power."

I couldn't help but feel a hint of jealousy at Asia's ability. I did my best with the new ball of demonic-power.

Focus. Focus. FOCUUUUUS!

I shut my eyes tightly, focusing on keeping the next demonic sphere from-

BOOOOM!

It exploded right in my face, leaving it black and covered in soot. I growled from anger, wiping all of the soot off of my face.

"Forget it! FOR-GET IT! I'm done!"

"Where are you going, Shirou?" Akeno-san asked me, a hint of worry in her voice.

"I'm going to go do something I CAN do! Like maybe punch a tree until either it or my fist breaks!"

"Shirou-san..." I looked at Asia's sad expression and felt bad about my outburst.

I hung my head, sitting back on the ground. "I...I'm just so fed up...The first day's almost over and I haven't made a single bit of progress! I was slower than everyone else's walking pace, I couldn't lay a single finger on Kiba, I can't even make a GODDAMN ENERGY BALL!" I clenched my fists in front of my face, trembling slightly. I released a deep breath and hung my head. "...why can't I do this one thing...? No matter how much power I pour..."

My voice sounded small and pathetic just like how I felt...

How could I protect anybody if I couldn't even complete the simplest of training?

"S...Shirou..." A trembling voice spoke in front of me. I looked up to see Yuuma with her hands in front of her. She turned a pale color at the thought of standing in front of me. I was too miserable to even bother glaring at her, so I settled for a blank stare.

"What?"

Yuuma looked like she was trying to talk, opening and closing her mouth several times before choking on whatever words she was trying to say.

"Just out with it already!" Mittelt slammed a hand against Yuuma's back, jerking her forward.

Yuuma swallowed before she finally worked up the courage to speak. She held out her hands, materializing a light spear. "I-It's like a Fallen Angels weapon of light. Not all are necessarily spears like how Kalawarner can also create swords when she's fighting seriously." She released the light spear and let it drop embarrassingly to the ground. It dissipated immediately afterwards. "It doesn't matter how much power you use to manipulate. Unless you focus and give it proper shape and form, it won't be of any use. If you pour too much power into it, you might not be able to properly shape and use it."

I raised an eyebrow at my former enemy's words. Not having any better ideas, I sighed. I closed my eyes, focusing one last time on creating the sphere.

I began slowly pouring energy into the sphere. When it had reached still much smaller than Asia's softball-sized demonic-energy sphere, it began to lose its shape. I was about to just quit when I remembered what Yuuma had said.

Give it proper shape...

I concentrated with all my might, not on putting more energy into it, but keeping it in a definite shape.

After a few seconds, I opened my eyes and was surprised to see that the sphere of demonic-energy was still retaining a proper shape.

I smiled. "I did it! It's too small to do a damn thing, but I did it! Thanks, Yuuma!" The Fallen Angel nodded slightly, a hint of color returning to her previously terrified, pale face. I released the sphere and threw a fist into the air. "YEAH BABY! My dream of creating a Cero like from Bleach is close to coming to fruition! BWAHAHAHAHA!" Sakura and Suu both cheered from the sidelines.

Hey. Don't judge me. I will always be a HUGE fan of Type-Moon and Fate/Stay Night, but anyone with a sense of cool would admit that giant beam cannons are AWESOOOOME!

And Day 1 still wasn't over!

* * *

****Lesson 3: Sparring with Koneko-chan.****

Hand-to-hand combat was where I was best...

That's why I was surprised by how much better Koneko-chan was at it than me. It was a much smaller gap than I had with magic and swordsmanship (something I would have to fix if I ever wanted to properly use [Blade Genesis]. But it was still noticeable.

I was barely able to sidestep Koneko-chan's last punch, instead being able to watch as her fist broke the tree in half due to the loli's unbelievable strength. I swung a leg around in an attempt to kick her while she was distracted.

****[Reinforce!]****

I used my reinforcement abilities to increase the power of each of my limps, but I found that each use of [Reinforce] took a toll on my body. When it came to my physical body, I could only [Reinforce] it a certain amount of times before my body couldn't take the strain. I've also found that [Reinforce] doesn't just work on my body. I really can use it on other objects like rocks or even trees. That's why Koneko-chan's foot got stuck inside the tree for a moment before it snapped in two.

I haven't tried using it on my swords yet, but I'm itching to try.

Koneko-chan was still faster than me by a small amount. Enough that she was able to raise her arm at the last moment to block the kick. I sighed, bracing myself for the blow that I knew was to follow. My leg fell back to the ground as Koneko-chan brought her own fist around, slamming it into my chest and sending me backwards. I managed to [Reinforce] my chest at the last minute to reduce the damage dealt, but it still hurt like a bitch.

I was sent flying into-WHAT DO YOU KNOW?!-ANOTHER TREE!

I groaned a little, recovering from the pain my impact caused to my back.

As I recovered, Koneko-chan looked down at me. "...Better." She was referring to how I had improved over our past several rounds.

Even with all the bruises I had all over my body, I was still itching for more training.

Because of each of my injuries, I could very easily vouch that Koneko-chan was indeed a [Rook]. I felt kind of jealous of her increased strength and defense. I mean, as a [Pawn], I could only do stuff like that if I was on enemy territory when I use my [Promotion].

"...You need to increase the amount of thrust you put into your blows...Your targeting of the center of the body and your accuracy is fine, but you need to add more thrust if you want to do some damage."

I nodded. "Yes, Koneko-sensei!" I had a joking grin, expressing some amusement at Koneko-chan's slightly annoyed expression. She didn't like me calling her that.

I could land my hits, but I had to work on the amount of damage they dealt. It was the reverse of my problem with Kiba. With Kiba, I had more strength, but not enough speed. With Koneko-chan, I had more speed, but not enough strength.

I beat my fist against my open palm. "Alright! Time for round 7!" Koneko-chan nodded.

For a brief moment, I could've sworn I saw a strange look resembling mild respect in her eyes.

I would become stronger within 10 days! I was going to use my improved strength to smash that damned yakitori into the ground!

* * *

****Lesson 4: With Buchou!****

"Hey, Shirou! Keep on going!"

"Yes, Buchou!"

With Buchou, we returned to the usual running with a boulder tied to my back with Buchou sitting on top.

The main difference this time was that I was running up a mountain.

In case you didn't know, running up and down a mountain is a bit more draining than running around a track. The boulder, I didn't mind. It was the fact that it almost knocked me off-balance several times while I was running up and down the mountain.

I was only able to complete about 17 complete back-and-forths before I started getting tired and my legs started to hurt.

I didn't complain though because I couldn't stop. Devils who are a [Pawn] need to have a lot of strength and stamina because they are the foot soldiers of the group. They push forward into enemy territory and take out any enemies that they can until they are able to use [Promotion] and are properly able to fight at full strength.

"Next is muscle training. We will go with push ups." Buchou got off me so I could get in push up position. I didn't even have Buchou remove the boulder from my back. Then she got right back on top of the boulder, adding her much more minor weight to it.

I nodded from my position. "Bring it on!"

"Now then, the three-hundred reps of push ups. Let's start." Buchou commanded.

"Understood, Buchou!" I then got started.

True, I would have died several times during my training if I hadn't been a Devil, but it is all worth it in the name of progress.

* * *

****Later...****

"W-Wow!"

"T-This is amazing!"

"Shirou...how did you?"

"...Impressive."

"You're an excellent chef, Shirou-kun."

I smirked, smug as everyone beheld the extravagant meal I laid before them. I wore a white apron, having just finished placing the final dish on the table.

The reason everyone was so shocked was because all of the food on the table looked like a feast made for a king-No-SEVERAL kings. And it tasted just as nice if the expressions on everyone's faces were anything to go by.

There were a few dozen different cultural dishes all spread out across the table.

I brushed some hair out of my eyes. "Please~! I couldn't have done it if it weren't for my lovely assistants here~!" I gestured to both Asia and Akeno-san who had both helped me prepare all of the present dishes.

Really, it would've been impossible if the others hadn't gone out and gotten ingredients earlier.

"Ara ara." Akeno-san giggled, smiling a little. "You praise us too much. You were the one who improvised and improved several of the recipes. What I really want to know is how you became so good in the kitchen."

"Yes, Shirou-san!" Asia agreed with a smile. "The meal is absolutely amazing!"

I sighed. "Well when the only cook in the house is your Onee-sama who can't even boil water without killing something via poisoning, you either learn to cook or you die." I said it with such a serious expression on my face.

Buchou smiled at me. "I truly am impressed at your skill, Shirou. This is one of the best meals I've ever eaten."

Ah, Buchou~! Your praises truly make me feel so happ-I-I mean they are appreciated.

Koneko-chan was clearly enjoying the meal due to the outrageous speed she was eating. Everyone's praises were overall welcomed.

I smiled awkwardly. "Well, I am kind of the weakest out of us, so I wanted to be of SOME use today." It was a painful truth. "I mean, Akeno-san, Koneko-chan, and Kiba all beat me when it comes to experience and ability even though they haven't participated in a [Rating Game] either. Asia has [Twilight Healing] which is meant for support. I have [Blade Genesis], but even if I have a Longinus-level Sacred Gear, it doesn't mean anything if I can't use it properly due to a lack of training. Even Asia has more experience with her Sacred Gear." I sighed to myself.

Buchou cleared her throat, gathering my attention. "While it wasn't by a lot, you still went much faster than I would've thought. Yet you still acknowledge yourself as the least powerful of the group. With this knowledge, I want you to have at least the power to run away from the enemy."

I stared. "N-No way in Hell! I don't run away!" I clenched my fists at my side. Everyone was shocked at my sudden outburst. "I never run away! Even if the world beats me down, I'll never run away! If I run away, then I'll truly be weak..." I knew I shouldn't speak so forcefully against Buchou, but only cowards ran. How could I ever hope to become strong if I became a coward?!

Buchou gained a thoughtful expression on her face. "No. Perhaps 'running away' makes it sound cowardly, so perhaps I should refer to it more as 'tactical retreat'." I raised an eyebrow. "Retreating to form a new formation is also a professional way of battling. There are ways to win a match like that. However, retreating with your back facing an enemy is something quite hard. If it's an enemy with roughly the same strength as you, it is easy, but showing your back to an enemy who is far superior to you is basically asking them to kill you. So being able to run away from such enemy will also be the part of your strength. So I have to teach you and Asia with the time you have to run away. Of course, I will also teach you how to fight the enemy head on."

I considered Buchou's argument. "Fine. I guess I could give 'tactical retreat' a try." If it was for strategy, then breaking off from a fight for just a moment wasn't too bad.

Asia nodded. "I'll do my best as well."

I closed my eyes, remembering another reason I had to get stronger. Because Asia's Sacred Gear was meant for support, she had no real way to fight back. I had to get stronger so I could protect her. With my very body if I must.

"Let's take a bath after the meal. It's an outdoor bath so it's wonderful."

I scratched my head. "An outdoor bath, huh?" I turned to the Kiba. "Are they that nice?"

I've...never been to an outdoor bath...I've always bathed in my own home. I WAS the [Demon King of Kuoh] after all. Everyone would board the bath up to keep me from getting in or would always be watching me with careful eyes to keep me from peeping on the girls (not that I did. They just ASSUMED that I would).

Kiba nodded. "They ARE rather enjoyable."

I placed a hand on my chin. "I see..."

Kiba smiled. "I'm not going to peek, Shirou-kun." I stared at him, uncertain what the Hell he was getting at.

"...OK...?" I blinked. "I'm assuming that was supposed to be some sort of joke..."

Sakura whispered into my ears. "I think Yuuto-kun is assuming you may peek or something."

My eyes widened as I turned and glared at Kiba. "Geez! What kind of pervert do you take me for!? Why are you putting me down on Matsuda and Motohama's level!?" I turned to the girls. "You girls know that I wouldn't peek, right!?...Well, not without permission I mean..."

None of the girls spoke, smiling awkwardly.

"...If you peek, then I will hold a grudge against you forever."

I felt Koneko-chan's cold words pierce my heart like an arrow. I slumped to the ground, whining to myself.

"Is this how everyone thinks of me...?" Why do they assume I'm some kind of perver-OK, maybe pervert is fair, but I ain't no peeping tom!

The weight of my despair rained down on me.

Kiba patted me on the shoulder. "Shirou-kun, let's have a naked bath together. I will wash your back."

I sat up to glare at Kiba. "SHUT UP, YOU DAMN PRINCE! DON'T SAY SUCH THINGS!"

I eventually got bored of being depressed and angry so I stood up, turning to Kiba.

He gave me a confused look. "Aren't you going to bathe?" I shook my head.

"WE are going to get in some extra training." I stated. I grabbed Kiba by the collar and started dragging him outside. Kiba opened his mouth. "I swear to MAOU, Kiba, that if you make another creepy joke about me 'having my way' or whatever, I WILL kill you in your sleep! I'll do it slowly, suffocating you with a pillow."

Kiba laughed. "Haha. You're so harsh, Shirou-kun." I laughed as well as I dragged the stupid prince out the door.

"Haha. You think I'm joking."

* * *

….blood poured from my wounds. I possessed large slash marks all across my body.

"Are you okay, Shirou-kun?" Kiba asked worriedly.

I was panting, my legs trembling. I held Kanshou in my left hand but Bakuya was scattered on the ground along with several other swords I had created. Kiba had his own sword held uncertainly in his hands.

I nodded. "It's fine..." My instincts made me react and jump out of the way as a light spear slammed right into the spot where I had just been standing. I swung Kanshou around, shattering the next light spear to pieces. "Nice shot, Yuuma!"

The black-haired Fallen Angel nodded, apparently relieved about something. I really did owe her for helping me out with that magic training. I immediately summoned a new copy of Bakuya after the other one faded away, swinging both swords around and shattering the next three light spears that were sent flying at me.

I quickly raised my swords to defend myself, but was too slow as I felt the edge of a sword cross my torso.

I winced in pain, backing away.

"Oh! Are you okay, Shirou-kun?" Kiba asked worriedly. We were sparring, not trying to kill each other and he had almost cut open my torso. "Are you sure we shouldn't use practice swords?"

I huff and puffed, hunched over as Kalawarner and Mittelt descended from the trees they had been hiding behind, staring at me with what may have been worry. "It's fine...I have to...train with [Blade Genesis]...and swords..." Kiba had only one bruise on his face and only a single cut sleeve.

"M-Maybe you should take a rest, Shirou." Kalawarner advised.

I did my best to form a reassuring smile. "You kidding...I can...do this all night..." I felt darkness spread from the corners of my eyes. "...I can always...have Asia heal me...I...I have to get stronger..."

Then I lost all feelings in my legs and fell forward.

""Shirou!""

In hindsight, telling three Fallen Angels and a master swordsman to go all-out against a guy with little to no experience was a bit of a bad idea.

I blacked out...

And thus Day 1 of training ended with me blacking out due to blood loss, being healed by Asia, and promising the people aware of the incident I wouldn't go overboard enough to kill myself for the rest of our training. They told me we were already training into the night...

But my midnight training sessions were far from over...

* * *

****Day 2****

I made sure not to shift around too much the next morning. My body seriously ached from my midnight Sacred Gear training combined with the training Buchou gave me.

I was admittedly somewhat grateful when the second day turned out to be study time.

Asia and I had an incredibly long study time to learn things that Devils had to know. It wasn't too difficult to remember. I was always good at studying and memorizing when I wanted to be. That's why, despite my delinquentish looks, I was always at least a straight B's student.

Once we were done, Kiba decided to do a quiz. "Our greatest enemy are the Angels led by God. What is the name given to the highest rank Angels? And what are their names?"

"The Seraphim." I answered easily. "As I recall, Michael, Uriel, Gabriel, and Raphael are the bosses at the top serving under the Angels' God."

"Correct." Kiba replied with a smile.

Sakura seemed eager to be the one to ask the next question for some reason.

"So, Master, the next question is about our "Maou"-sama! What are the names of the leaders of Hell?"

I grinned. "Easy! I do plan on meeting and maybe even fighting one of these guys someday! There's Sirzechs Lucifer-sama, Falbium Asmodeus-sama, Ajuka Beelzebub-sama, and finally the female Serafall Leviathan-sama!"

"Way to go, Master!" Sakura cheered.

"Way to go, Master!" Suu mimicked Sakura's words.

"Now can you tell me who the Devils' original and true leaders were?" I blinked, surprised by the strange way Sakura said 'original and true'. I looked at Buchou who appeared just as confused by the question as I was. That was not something she went over with us. We were supposed to be taught more about the present.

I knew by this point she was referring to the original Maou serving under Satan. It was only recently that I learned that Satan, the Devil who was revered as a Devil god and the creator of the Maou as well the 72 Pillars (the Devil Clans), perished during that Great War between the three Factions after asking Buchou if it would be possible for me to get strong enough to fight him someday.

I was kind of disappointed when I found out he was dead. I wanted to fight all of those old bastards someday, but it appeared that at best I would have to make do with the current Maou someday when I was strong enough.

I found it strange that Sakura would ask that question when it wasn't one of the topics we had discussed.

But I knew the answer so I may as well answer the question."The original leaders of the Devils were Beelzebub-sama, Belphegor-sama, Mammon-sama, Asmodeus-sama, Lucifer-sama, Leviathan-sama, and the guy who led all of them: Satan-sama. By some, they are referred to as the Seven Princes of Hell, each representing one of the Seven Deadly Sins. They were all killed during the Great War and sometime afterwards I guess the Yondai Maou came into power and have taken care of the Underworld since then."

Sakura began to cheerfully clap her hands. "Good job, Master! That was absolutely, positively correct!"

Buchou seemed pleased as well, smiling. "It's good that you remember all that despite not being properly taught. In the world of Devils, not knowing the names of the original Maou can earn you the ire of Devils. It's much worse if one does not even know the name of Satan-sama, especially among the elders."

I scratched my head. "Wow. Didn't know it was so serious to know the name of the king of Devils." Buchou shot me a serious look.

"Satan-sama was far more than a simple king." Buchou explained. "He was the progenitor of our entire race. He created the Maou and the 72 Pillars. He was the one who gifted them with the blood of The Devil."

"So he really is a Devil God..." I said in wonder. I knew Satan was powerful, but to have created an entire race...

Buchou nodded. "And that is why my family is so insistent on this marriage. To ensure the survival of the Pillars and our king's gifts."

The room fell silent and we servants all shot Buchou concerned looks. Our Fallen Angel friends simply descended into awkward silence.

Buchou eventually shook her head, smiling. "Back to where we left off...we've gone over the Seraphim and the Maou. Next let us go over the leaders of the Fallen Angels."

This one was a bit tougher than the rest. I didn't pay as much attention to all of the leaders.

I scratched my head. "Erm...there was the main group, the "Grigori"." I looked over to Kalawarner who nodded. "...Well there's the Fallen Angel Governor, Azazel. Then there's the Vice-Governor guy, Shemhazai...others were..." I closed my eyes, thinking. "Let's see...There was Armaros...Baraqiel ...Tamiel..." I focused, trying to remember the other names. I was no quitter! "Benemue, Shariel, and finally..." My expression soured as I remembered the last name. "Kokabiel."

I felt my mood fall by a large margin. Everyone immediately seemed awkward as the atmosphere became a bit dark.

They knew why I was a little pissed off.

Kokabiel was the bastard who tricked Kalawarner and her group into thinking that Azazel ordered my execution. He was the reason Yuuma had killed me in the park that fateful day and my subsequent reincarnation into a Devil thanks to Buchou.

He was the reason I died and the reason Asia had gone through her ordeal with Yuuma's rogue group.

If I hadn't started meeting with Kalawarner, there was no telling how much worse the situation could've been.

Personally, I didn't hold anything against Fallen Angels in general. Just that bastard, Kokabiel.

Wanting to change the subject, Asia coughed into her hand to begin her own lecture. "Then now, I, Asia Argento, will explain about the basics of the exorcists." I began clapping my hands, smiling. Asia's face turned red in a way that looked adorable. "U-Umm. From the place I used to belonged to, there were two types of exorcists. The first type are the ones that appears in films and novels. The father reads a section of the book, then he uses the holy water to get rid of the Devil from the person's body. They are known as the "usual exorcists". Then the "other exorcists" would be the ones that are of a threat to us."

Buchou continued from where Asia left off. "Shirou, you also have met them before, but the greatest threat to Devils' are exorcists who received the divine protection from a God or the Fallen Angels. We have been fighting against them for a very long time behind the scene. They come to destroy us with the power of light received from the Angels, and with their physical bodies that they trained to the uttermost limits."

I remembered that shitty priest, Freed. He was a goddamned psychopath who murdered Devils and anyone who associated with them. He was a rogue exorcist who killed solely for the pleasure of killing. I didn't really want to meet a guy like him again, but if I did, I would smash them to a grease spot.

I only snapped out of my thoughts when Asia started taking things out of her bag.

Buchou picked up a small bottle with water inside it with her fingers. She held it as if she was touching something disgusting.

"Now I will talk about the traits of holy water and the Bible. First of all, the holy water. It will be very terrible if a Devil touches it." Asia explained.

"That's true, so you can't touch it as well, Asia. Your skin will get harmed."

Asia sobbed a little at that thought. "That's right...I can't touch the holy water any more..."

"I will tell you how to make one afterwards. I don't know if it will be useful but there are a couple of ways to make them."

I couldn't help but grin at the bitter irony a little. Asia was a DEVIL priestess.

"Next is the Bible." Asia continued energetically. "I have been reading it every day since I was a child. But I'm in trouble now because it gives me a pain in the head even if I only read a sentence of it."

"You are a Devil."

"You are a Devil after all."

"...A Devil."

"Ufufu, Devil's receive intense damage."

"I feel so much pity for you, Devil nun~!"

"Poor, Asia-chan."

Asia looked like she was close to crying again as we all pointed this out to her. I felt bad, but it needed to be done.

"I can't read the Bible any more!"

Yep. Them's the facts. We Devils can't read or hear the Bible or we would experience horrible pain. I can't even speak His name as the main subject of a sentence without receiving an electric shock.

"However, this is my favorite phrase... Oh God. Please forgive a sinful person like myself who can't read the Bible-au!" Asia winced as she received damage from praying again.

I shook my head, sighing.

Poor Asia...

After that, we continued our regular training, me having recovered enough during our study time to complete Buchou's training.

Suffice to say, throughout the day I had made no progress whatsoever. I didn't understand what my problem was. Other than the tiniest bit of progress I made yesterday, I was stuck in some kind of rut.

I've tried training with my swords, with my fists, and even with my meager magical abilities...

I had no results whatsoever. I think I may have done even worse than yesterday.

If things continued at this rate, I would never be of any use to Buchou or the others.

I would never get stronger.

I would only ever be the useless nobody.

So much for keeping my promise...

* * *

****A Week Later...****

It was late and our training had been completed for the night. I stared at the ceiling of the room I shared with Kiba. I had chosen to forgo my midnight training that night. There was no point to it anymore.

Said [Knight] was snoozing peacefully in the bed next to mine.

On some level, this guy was one of my best friends. He was creepy sometimes, but he was a good guy.

He was also stronger than me. I figured that out more with each passing day.

He had so much more skilled with swords than me. Skill that he attained with talent and loads of hard work.

I didn't have either. I wasn't even close to fighting on par with Kiba. I could train for eternity and beyond and still never reach his level of swordsmanship. I could see that during our matches. I could only hope to compensate for my poor swordsmanship with my variety of blades.

In our demonic-power training, Asia had been excelling, improving with each passing moment. She was starting to master a variety of spells. Asia was beginning to master fire, water, lightning, and a few other elements. Meanwhile the most I could manage was a tiny energy sphere that was the size of a ping pong ball at the largest.

Even my own physical strength, which I had always prided myself on, paled in comparison to Koneko-chan's power. She could break trees in half with a single punch. I could hit her all I wanted, but none of my attacks left more than the smallest of bruises. I couldn't even beat her when she was holding back.

They were all so amazing...

I...I...

I was so jealous of them. They were so strong and I was so pathetic and weak in comparison.

I pressed my pillow against my face and screamed in frustration, my screams being horribly muffled.

I removed the pillow from my face and sat up, realizing I needed some fresh air and maybe a glass of water while I was up. I turned and made sure Kiba hadn't been disturbed by my outburst. He was still sleeping like a baby.

I walked towards the kitchen, ready to get a glass of water and then some fresh air when-

"Ara? You're awake?" I jumped until I recognized the voice as Buchou's. I looked over to the living room to see Buchou sitting at the table. I blushed a little, once again annoyed with the strange feeling I got around her.

"Oh." I bowed my head. "S-Sorry if I interrupted your reading, Buchou."

She shook her head, smiling slightly. "No. It's good timing actually. Let's talk for a bit."

I nodded, taking a seat opposite of Buchou, the room illuminated by a lone candle on the table between us. Considering we had night vision, I suppose the candle was just for looks.

Buchou wore a red negligee along with glasses and had her hair tied back. I felt my face heat up even further as I realized how Buchou somehow even looked MORE beautiful.

I had to think of a topic before it became obvious I was blushing.

Quick, Shirou! Think!

"S-So what's with those glasses, Buchou?!" …Well it was something.

"Oh, these?" Buchou asked, still smiling. "It's just for looks. I can think more clearly while having my glasses on. Fufufu, this is the proof that I have been in the human's world for so long." Realizing I was beginning to ogle Buchou, I turned my gaze downwards to the table.

My eyes widened at the number of papers that looked like maps and battle plans.

I looked back up at Buchou in amazement. Even though it was so late, she was still up trying to figure out how to defeat Riser and his Peerage.

Buchou closed the notebook full of strategies that she had been reading, sighing.

"...To be honest, the only thing I'll get by reading this is a peace of mind."

"Why is that?" I found that a little bit strange. I know we were fighting a serious fight, but I couldn't see what specifically was bothering Buchou at the moment.

"If the opponent is another High-class Devil, then we could fight by reading this." Buchou explained. "This book is written with lots of research. But that isn't the problem."

"Is it the power of the Phenex clan itself?" I asked. Buchou seemed surprised.

"Y-Yes."

I had been thinking about it. Lately, in my free time at night, I've been reading up about the 72 Pillars. I haven't read up on all of them yet, but I've figured out that most of them had a distinguishing power of some sort. A power granted to them specifically from Satan.

"I'm guessing that their name is Phenex for a reason." I said. "They must be like the actual 'Phoenix', the mythical beast. The immortal bird. So they have top-notch healing powers, right?"

Buchou nodded, apparently unhappy about the fact. "Even if you attack them, their wounds will heal right away. Their flames won't even leave a bone left. Eight wins and two losses. This is the record that Raiser has at the official [Rating Game]. He fought ten times and won eight matches. He lost two of the match on purpose as kindness to one of the households he is close to. In reality he won all of his matches. He already became a candidate to obtain a title in the official game."

"Then we'll be the ones who'll crush his winning streak!" I proclaimed. "Nothing is truly immortal. Riser is just another Devil just like the rest of us. There's no doubt in my mind that his regeneration abilities give him the advantage, but we'll just have to beat him until he doesn't want to get back up."

"Yes. That is one of the two ways we can beat him." Buchou said. "Even if his body is immortal where he can resurrect his body many times, his mind isn't immortal. His mind will definitely tire out every time we defeat him. It's our win if we completely crush the Phoenix's mind. Then he will stop resurrecting and he will fall. Well, the easiest way is to defeat him with a power that is on par with God that crushes him down with one strike which takes down both his body and mind."

I grinned, holding up my left arm that held [Blade Genesis] inside of it. "Well, one God-killing power right here. So we're all set."

I was mostly trying to reassure Buchou, who I could sense was losing hope as more time passed.

I frowned, remembering something. "And if we become really desperate, I could always use-"

"No!" Buchou suddenly shouted. She wasn't angry. Just worried, almost frightened.

We both remembered a previous incident a few days ago.

I had some free time in-between training sessions and I was fooling around with [Blade Genesis] abilities, scanning through all of the weapon images it allowed me to see.

I soon began to realize that [Blade Genesis] doesn't allow me to just create swords. It allowed me to create the images of already existing swords. Many of the images were blurry, but there were several that I could see vividly.

There were certain swords that stuck out in particular.

-Holy swords.

Nobody was around except Asia.

I figured that if I could use a holy sword, then I could be of actual help against enemy Devils.

With a lot of my willpower, I forced one of the holy swords into existence with a surprising amount of resistance from my Sacred Gear.

That was a horrible mistake.

The moment my hand wrapped around the sword, it started to burn like Hell. It started off like a hot stove, but it gradually became more and more intense to the point that it felt like someone had lit my hand on fire, choosing to burn it slowly to prolong my pain.

My hand had actually started letting off smoke like it was beginning to burn away.

It wasn't just my hand. My whole body began to shake violently...as if the holy sword was rejecting my very existence.

I still don't remember much of what happened. Apparently I had been screaming loud enough that the others had heard me from their own training grounds. They immediately came to my side. My training had been suspended for the day and my entire right arm ended up covered in burn marks before they managed to separate the holy sword from my hand.

Everyone had been so worried and Asia had cried when I ended up being unconscious for several hours.

Buchou had explained to me that, usually, Devils are not capable of wielding holy swords like humans and Angels could. She made me promise not to try summoning a holy sword again. I made everyone so worried and I set back their training by a day because they had all been so worried.

I turned to Buchou's still worried expression, trying to laugh off my suggestion like a joke. "I'm kidding. I'm kidding." Not really. I was already useless. Even if I ended up being crippled by the use of holy swords, if I could use one to beat Riser, then it would be worth it. As long as I was able to protect Buchou.

Shirou, change the topic!

I cleared my throat. "Hey, Buchou. Can I ask you something?" Buchou nodded, still somewhat worried by my previous idea. "Why do you hate Riser...No. I get why you hate Riser. What I meant was 'Why are you so opposed to the marriage, given your family problems?'"

"…I'm a "Gremory"."

I stared, blinking. "So...it's because it's what your family wants?"

"No. The Gremory name will follow me to wherever I go."

I cocked my head sideways in confusion. "Do you hate it?"

Buchou quickly shook her head. "I feel proud of it. However, this is also something that is a burden to me. Everyone looks at me as Rias from the Gremory. I can't have them look at me simply as Rias. That's why I'm enjoying my life in the human world. They don't know about the Gremory the Devil. Everyone looks at me as who I am. I really like that feeling. I never felt something like this in the Devils' society, and I never will now on as well. The only time I can enjoy my life as myself is when I'm in the human world." I couldn't help but notice the distant and sad look in Buchou's eyes.

I wanted to hug her and reassure her, but the very thought made my blush and feel embarrassed with myself at even thinking about attempting such a thing with my master.

"I want to be with someone who will love me as Rias without the fact that I'm a Gremory. That's my small dream I have… Unfortunately, Raiser only looks at me as Rias from the Gremory. And he loves me as Rias from the Gremory. That's why I hate it. But still, the pride of being a Gremory is very important. My feelings may be complicated, but I want to cherish this small dream I have."

Buchou wanted to be loved as "Rias"...not as "Rias Gremory"...To be loved as herself...

I sighed, smiling sadly. "You know...In a weird way, I think I can sympathize that." Buchou looked at me in confusion, as if asking for me to elaborate. "Well, you know how I'm always called the [Demon King of Kuoh], right?"

Buchou nodded. "Yes. Even before you came into my sights because of your power, I was still well aware of that name."

I crossed my arms in front of me. "Well...that title's followed me around since I was in middle school. I held pride in the name because it meant I was the strongest bastard around...but I've never felt more alone than when I first claimed that title. Ever since then, everyone's pretty much hated me. Those who didn't were mostly girls who lusted after me just because they thought I was an easy good-looking guy because I was supposedly a 'beast'. I was being judged based on a bunch of stupid rumors and a stupid title. The few people who did like me only liked me because of the title I bore. They liked the [Demon King of Kuoh] who was a beast to be tamed, not Shirou Fujimura. I wanted to be strong, but I didn't want to be seen as a monster for my entire life because of my title. Kiryuu, Matsuda, Motohama. They were my first real friends in a long time. When Yuuma betrayed and murdered me, I felt so lost and hurt. I had once again lost faith in my friends. I had truly opened up for the first time around someone whom I thought to be a normal person and I get stabbed in the heart both figuratively and literally...but then I met you, Buchou." I felt myself blush lightly at how it sounded. "I admit I didn't really like you at first. Sorry."

Buchou nodded, accepting my apology. "It's fine. At least you're honest about it."

"I thought you were just another person trying to use me because I was just a monster. But you were one of the few people who was willing to see the real me. You were so nice and...you introduced me to the world of Devils and I made great friends in you, Kiba, Akeno-san, Koneko-chan, and Asia. I was also able to be friends with Kalawarner, Mittelt, Sakura, and Suu, too." I felt uncertain whether to include Yuuma since I was still mad but less so as of recently. "That's the reason I like you, Buchou. I like you because of the person you are, not because of some title..." I felt my face heating up further. "Buchou is a very important person to me."

I then noticed that Buchou's cheeks were turning a slight red color.

I quickly panicked. "O-Oh crap! D-Did I just say something w-weird?! I-If so, you can p-pretend I didn't say anything if I messed up too badly!"

"No-Nothing! It's nothing!" Buchou said in her own panic.

Shit! Did I really say something wrong?!

I decided to stop speaking so strangely for now as to keep Buchou from feeling upset.

"I don't actually like the word "genius"." She answered

"Why is that?" I wondered where that came from.

"A talent that is given by heaven…it feels like it's a gift given by God so I don't feel good. My talent is born from the roots of the House of Gremory that has been passed down to the generations. I inherited that trait as a Devil. I never thought that I received it as a gift from God, and that's impossible. My power belongs to me and the House of Gremory. That's why I won't lose. I will win if I have to fight. I have to win."

Buchou...you...you're so amazing...I...I...

I bowed my head. "I'm sorry for being so worthless, Buchou."

"Shirou?"

"I want to say I've gotten a lot stronger since I came here, but it's all a lie. Kiba's so much better than me when it comes to using swords...Only an idiot couldn't tell that Akeno-san and Asia are so much more superior to me in magic and Asia's STILL improving...Koneko-chan could snap me in half...I want to say I close the gap between us with [Blade Genesis], but...I'm just so worthless...

The only thing training did was make me realize how pathetic and insignificant I was compared to other Devils.

Because I was so weak, Sakura had gotten hurt by Riser's [Pawn]...

People I wanted to protect were being hurt because of my weakness...

I felt something warm and wet roll down the sides of my face. I wasn't sure why, but I was making myself so vulnerable before Buchou...

She was so strong and brave and I was just so weak...

"I'm the weakest out of everybody...I'm the strongest among a bunch of high school students, but I can't do a damn thing when it comes to Devils..." These were my true thoughts. My uncertainties, fears, and frustrations were all pouring out of me one-by-one. "...I just wanted to be strong to protect everybody...but I'll always be so weak...I talk a big game, but I really have no idea what I'm doing half the time. I'm nowhere near as brave and confident as you are, Buchou." I glared down at my left arm with my tear-filled eyes. "Why did such a legendary Sacred Gear...choose such a worthless idiot like me? How the Hell did someone weak like me ever manage to evolve the original [Boosted Gear]?"

Damn it...I'm so pathetic...I...

I only froze when I felt a pair of warm arms wrap around me.

"You're not weak, Shirou." I turned my eyes to see the side of Buchou's face.

"Buchou..."

"You may not realize it, but you are strong." Buchou said. "Out of every human, the Sacred Gear chose you. It was YOUR will that evolved it. That wouldn't have been possible if you were weak. You risked your life to save Asia from the Fallen Angels and defeated Raynare. You overcame your murder at the hands of one of said Fallen Angels and befriended Kalawarner. You overcame all of your trauma and chose to spare the person who caused you so much pain." She tightened her arms around me. "You're definitely one of the strongest people I've ever met, Shirou. If it's only confidence you lack, then let me give you some of mine."

I felt myself blush bright-red at Buchou's praises. She was saying such kind things and I wasn't sure I deserved them.

"And that dream of yours...What was it again? What drove you to strive for that goal?" Buchou knew damn well what my dream was because I stated it dramatically every time it was mentioned.

I felt myself blush as I pulled away slightly from Buchou. Just enough that I was staring into her eyes.

In this situation, my dream sounded a bit foolish. But I spoke it anyway.

"W-Well...When I was little, I made a promise to a friend," I suppose I should probably explain my dream itself and how it came to be. "This friend was always protecting me. Man, you wouldn't have recognized the crybaby I was when I was younger." I laughed a little at myself. "So when my friend moved away one day, I promised them that I would someday become strong enough that I could protect them and all of the people precious to me. I swore that I would surpass the powers of Heaven and Hell themselves, that I would become strong enough to beat Satan or even God Himself. That was the promise I made so many years ago." I smiled, fondly remembering that person precious to me.

Buchou stared. "So that's the reason you want to become strong?" I nodded, embarrassed. It was the first time I ever explained WHY I wanted to be strong. "That's a very admirable goal, Shirou. I know someday, as long as you believe in yourself, you may achieve that goal. And if you don't believe in yourself, then believe in me. Believe in the Rias who believes in you."

I blinked. "I believe in the Buchou who believes in me?...Gurren Lagann?" Buchou blushed slightly, smiling. I broke out into a fit of laughter. "HAHA! You really are an otaku!" Buchou seemed only slightly embarrased about ripping off a line from a mecha anime. I laughed for several more minutes before I stopped. My laughter eventually shrank to a simple smile. Before Buchou could react, I wrapped my arms around her, returning her previous embrace. "B-Buchou...thank you. I swear to you, that come [Rating Game] time, I'm going to defeat Riser! I'll give you the happy ending you deserve and help you find your true love!"

Buchou blinked this time, apparently unsure whether or not I was serious. "True love?"

I separated from her, pointing as I blushed. "Hey! I was serious about what I said to that Sengoku nut! I'm a firm believer in true love! Arranged marriages are an abomination to the classical happily-ever-after!" My face was red like a tomato. "I'll repay you for the day you saved my life by turning me into a Devil! I promise you!" I then opened my pinky and extended it towards her.

Buchou stared. "What is this...?" I gave her a confused look before shaking my head.

"It's a way that most people make a special promise to one another." Buchou uncertainly extended her own pinky towards mine, hooking them together. "With this promise, I swear to you that I will always protect you, Buchou. Even if the whole of the Underworld and Heaven oppose me, I'll face them all if it means helping you, Buchou. I WILL defeat Riser for you."

Buchou's face turned a deep red color again.

We stared at one another and I felt another strange beating in my chest again. Just looking at Buchou...just being near her made me feel so happy. Eventually my face was about to burn away so I broke away from Buchou.

"A-Anyway! I-I should probably go get some shut-eye! I-It's a long day tomorrow, hehehe!" I waved goodbye to Buchou, slowly backing out of the room until I was out of her sight. Then I ran back to mine and Kiba's room.

I gently nudged Kiba's shoulder. "Kibaaaa..." I hissed. He didn't react. I nudged him again. "Kibaaaaaa..." Still nothing. This time I pulled my fist back...and threw it forward. "KIBA!"

The Knight's eyes suddenly shot open and his arm forward and I just barely managed to move out of the way in time to avoid the bad end of a sword. Kiba shot upright, staring in shock as he realized who the guy (me) on the ground in front of him was.

"Oh, Shirou-kun..." He yawned. "Something wrong?"

I stared in surprise. "First off, nice reflexes. I take back my threat to smother you in your sleep because you would probably kill me before I could even try." Kiba nodded, smiling slightly at my sort-of compliment. "And second, get up. We're heading out."

Kiba raised an eyebrow. "To where?"

I grinned. "Well just get the Fallen Angel girls and meet me in the forest. We're going to train until I drop!" Kiba was surprised by my sudden return of spirit and smiled.

"Alright." He stood up from his bed and walked away, only turning once to give me a curious look. "Did something happen, Shirou-kun? You seem...different." I turned away.

"Just get them and meet me in the forest." Then Kiba left...

I was glad.

He was right really. I WAS different. I could especially feel it within myself.

I KNEW what was different. I couldn't deny it any longer. Even though I still had feelings for someone else...

….I had fallen in love with Buchou.

* * *

I was shocked.

I was standing on rooftop of the main school building for Kuoh Academy. I didn't know how or why I was there, but I was there.

But I also noticed something was different.

For one thing, the entire building had dozens and dozens of swords sticking into the structure at random points. It was like someone had taken the school grounds and used it as a pin cushion for swords. There were so many varying types of swords of varying shapes and sizes.

I looked towards the horizon to see the setting sun...

I blinked. "I don't remember the sun being that huge." From the position of the sun, it looked like it was slamming somewhere against the ground in the horizon. Maybe in the next city over. Perhaps an exaggeration, but it looked unusually large. It was then that I took in the atmosphere.

It was strange...certainly different from what I usually felt around school.

[About time you got here, partner.]

I blinked, looking around. "Ddraig?"

[Over here.]

I turned around towards the direction of the voice which was in the front of the school and I recoiled backwards at the sight.

Standing in front of the school was a colossal dragon-like beast that was red in color and looked like he himself was a raging inferno.

"Wha-How the Hell are you here?!"

I mean just having a dragon show up to my sword-pin cushioned school was NOT normal!

I couldn't tell, but I think Ddraig was smiling, amused about something.

[Despite how real it appears, this is not the world you know. Rather, it's the one that exists inside of you.]

I blinked. "You mean...this is like...my SOUL?"

Ddraig nodded his huge, dragonic head. [I will admit, the amount of detail here is impressive. Admittedly better than that black space.]

This was like one of those crazy, Bleach-style inner zanpaktou world!

I sat down on the railing, crossing my legs as I looked at Ddraig who was still large enough to look me in the eyes. "So why did you call me here, dragon?"

[YOU were the one who called ME.] Cue confused stare. [I am answering your prayer.] I believe that one may have been a joke. [You say you wish to become stronger? I will give you my power any time you want.]

I stared in shock. "You mean...You haven't been giving it to me already?"

Ddraig shook his head. [I've given you a nudge every now and then, but your power up to this point has ultimately been yours and yours alone. I truly am impressed that you came as far as you did.]

I sighed. "But, it's all meaningless. I've trained so hard and lately I've started to actually improve enough to survive the practice battles with Kiba, but I only have one day left. I can't close the gap fast enough to defeat Riser..." I turned back to Ddraig. "So...this power of yours...Why do I get the feeling it's not free?"

Ddraig grinned (I think). [You're rather intuitive for a brat. Yes. It will come with a sacrifice of something great. I will give you something that is worth the sacrifice.]

I raised my hand. "Question: Is this going to be one of those irony-type deals where you give me power to do what I want but in the end it would ironically take away the very thing I wanted to protect?"

[No.]

I gave him a thumbs up. "In that case, I'm all in."

[Very well. I will give you my power then. You can show it to those who laughed at you. The existence of a "Dragon" that is.]

"Cool."

[And you may practice using it within this world without affecting your body outside. Considering a special training chamber.]

I blinked. "About how special is it?"

[Within this world, you may be free to train without exhaustion of energy. You can train as much as you want and wake up still refreshed as long as you do not become physically injured.]

I blinked again. "Bitchin!" I threw my fist into the air. "Let's get this extra eight hours of nonstop training started!" I paused for a moment, tensing slightly. But then I returned to my previous cheer.

It may have been nothing, but...

...the creepy thing was...I could've sworn I felt something other than Ddraig there...something much more powerful...

Whatever it was, it didn't bother me so I didn't bother with it.

* * *

**Day 10...**

When I opened my eyes, I was once again staring at the ceiling of mine and Kiba's shared room.

I raised my left hand into the air, smiling to myself.

"Alright...Buchou, I'm going to keep my promise no matter what."

I turned to Kiba who was still sleeping. I looked to the clock on the other side of my bed and realized I had woken up an hour early...

May as well get a start on cooking breakfast.

* * *

I stood patiently a few feet across from Kiba, smiling to myself at how much stronger I felt.

Everyone other than Buchou, Kiba, and the Fallen Angels was surprised by my sudden increase in confidence. I had been a bit of a stick in the mud the past several days.

"Your opponent will be Yuuto." Buchou announced. I nodded.

"No holding back against me, Kiba!" I told the swordsman as he stepped forward as per Buchou's command.

Kiba scanned my expression, probably trying to find out why I'm so energetic all of a sudden. Eventually he smiled. "I'll do my best."

I summoned out [Blade Genesis] and closed my eyes. "Reinforce!"

**[Reinforce! X5]**

Kiba seemed surprised by my sudden use of my powers, but he nodded. He readied the wooden he had insisted on using in our battle.

I held my hands before me. "Claymore...Weight: 4.9 Pounds. Length: 55 Inches. Blade Length: 49 Inches." I focused with all of my might as my mind searched through the images provided by my Sacred Gear, sending the information to my Sacred Gear. I held out both of my hands before me, clutching the blade that slowly began to shimmer and phase into reality.

Buchou seemed confused. No doubt she wondered how I was going to beat the [Knight] when his speed far outmatched mine. Carrying such a heavy sword would normally only make my situation worse. She looked at me, but I shot her a confident smile. Her face pinked slightly, but I may have been mistaken.

"Do you plan to fight in that state, Shirou?" I nodded. She then turned towards Kiba. "Yuuto, I will leave you to be his opponent."

"Yes, Buchou."

I looked to my left to see Sakura and Suu, whose left arm was raised above her head and shifted into a bell.

"Ring the starting bell."

Sakura nodded, smiling, as she pulled out a giant mallet and slammed it against the bell, producing a loud chime. "START!"

Thanks to my extra training, I just barely managed to catch Kiba move. He came in from my left, swinging his wooden sword down on me. I caught the blow on my left arm, returning the strike by swinging my claymore one-handedly.

Kiba managed to move backwards, just barely avoiding the edge of my sword. As soon as his feet hit the ground, he was gone again. But just before vanishing, I could've sworn I saw a look of surprise on his face.

My instincts caused me to react when I felt a cold feeling behind me. Kiba swung his sword sideways, attempting to strike my exposed side, but I leaped backwards over him and swinging my claymore at him. Kiba caught the blade on its guard.

I smirked. "Katana!" I released my grip on my claymore just as an unnamed katana appeared out of thin air into my right hand. I aimed its tip at Kiba and stabbed forward. Kiba quickly knocked away the claymore just in time to weave out of the way, my blade just barely scratching his pretty pretty face.

**[Reinforce!]**

Kiba ducked and delivered a quick kick to my stomach, knocking me backwards.

I winced, but it didn't hurt as much as it would've before.

He swung his sword at me again, but only hit an afterimage.

He turned around just in time to block my katana with his own sword.

"...Fast." Koneko-chan admitted in surprise from the sidelines.

Even Buchou's eyes widened. "How can he move that fast? He hasn't even promoted himself to [Knight]..."

""WAY TO GO, MASTER!"" Sakura and Suu (who was disguised as Sakura in a cheerleading uniform) both cheered me on.

As Kiba and I locked swords, I smirked. "I found out an interesting thing about my Sacred Gear's power." We both disengaged and moved several feet from each other. "Especially its [Reinforcement] abilities."

Kiba frowned, keeping his sword pointed at me. "What do you mean?"

I took a fighting stance. "I realized that it was so much more than a simple reinforcement of the body. It didn't just strengthen the structure of physical objects. My power is the very concept of 'reinforcing'. It 'reinforces' anything as long as it isn't vague. The ability can 'reinforce' anything: the sharpness of a blade, the nourishment of food, and, in the case of a living creature, physical physical strength and durability." I raised my katana to the sky. "That's the ability of [Blade Genesis]."

I charged at Kiba, both of our respective weapons clashing against one another. Our blades met again and again, me honestly being shocked at how resilient Kiba's wooden sword was.

"Let me name what I've used all six of my previous [Reinforcements] for. The first and second were used on my arms to increase their physical strength so I could wield my claymore more accurately. The third and fourth were used on my legs to increase the speed at which they could carry me. That previous one was used on my body to increase my physical durability."

Kiba frowned as we continued trading strikes. "You never told me what the fifth one was used on."

I grinned. "Just this." I separated from Kiba and held out my left palm towards him. I gathered the demonic-power in my body into the palm of my hand. "[Dragon Shot]!" It appeared small, but my magic had been reinforced so-

GUOOOOOOOOOO!

The initially tiny ball of power grew and expanded to the size of a giant boulder after I shot it. The blast approached Kiba at an incredibly fast rate. Even I was surprised by the attack's speed myself.

Despite its speed, it was still too slow to hit Kiba, who dodged out of the way easily.

Even though the attack missed, it kept on going until it hit the next mountain over.

The resulting mountain-destroying explosion could've been heard for miles.

"Wo-" Kiba was about to express amazement until he felt the edge of my sword at his throat. He looked at me, grinning.

"I believe that is my win." It was at that moment that Kiba's wooden sword chose to snap in half, rendering it useless.

I realize there was a strange silence in the air. I relished in it...

Then I felt back onto the ground, panting a little as my reinforcements wore off, leaving my body in the state it had originally been in.

"Not gonna lie...I was trying to show off a little bit." It was the honest truth. I wanted to showcase the power I had gotten during the last eight hours of my training in my Inner World, but the rapid and long-term use of six consecutive reinforcements had left me a bit drained.

"That was...admittedly fantastic, Shirou." Buchou stated in amazing. "You both did well, but I'm surprised by your growth. Yuuto, what did you think of it?"

Kiba smiled slightly now that my blade wasn't at his throat anymore. "I'm astonished. I tried to finish the spar with the first strike. I couldn't break through Shirou-kun's guard. His reinforced speed was also formidable enough that it surprised me. I tried knocking him out with the second strike, but he was much faster."

I scratched my cheek, grinning to myself. "Yeah, I AM pretty great, aren't I?"

Kiba held out his broken sword. "I strengthened the bokken with demonic-power, but it couldn't give that much damage to Shirou-kun because his body was too hard and well-protected. If we continued, I would only have the option to run around because I wouldn't have my weapon."

"Thank you, Yuuto." Buchou said to Kiba before turning to me, smiling. "That's how it is, Shirou."

I nodded. "Thanks, Buchou. You..." I turned my gaze towards the ground, my cheeks turning a slight pink color. "...You gave me back the confidence I lost...I-It's because of you that I've become as strong as I have..." I began to play with my hands nervously in my lap. "It was thanks to you that I was able to get back on my feet and-"

"Hm?" Akeno-san interrupted. "Is this turning into a confession?"

I stared at Akeno-san, my red face turning even redder. "E-Eh?!"

Sakura clasped her hands over her mouth. "No! Could it be you're actually confessing to Buchou, Master!?" She had the strangest tone of betrayal in her voice.

"Ah! I-Is it truly a confession?!"

I looked back and forth between everybody. "W-Whoa! H-Hold on! I'm not confessing to anyone! I-I'm just saying how I really lo-LIKE Buchou! Sh-She's a really nice person who's nice, beaut-STOP SNICKERING, KIBA!"

The stupid prince had apparently found my fumbling with words to be humorous.

I shook my head. "I-Idiots! I-It's not some kind of confession of love or anything! I-I-Shut up! Y-You idiots!" I was so embarrassed by this point. In a weird way, I think I HAD been planning on confessing, but I couldn't really tell.

I turned as I saw Koneko-chan walk up to me. I was somewhat creeped out by how she stared at me intently.

"...Cute tsundere."

"Shut it, you loli! I'm not cute! AND FOR THE LOVE OF MAOU, I'M NOT A TSUNDERE!"

I turned to Buchou to see how she was taking this. She appeared confused mostly.

My face was about to explode from all of the blood that was filling it.

"Just-I-You-I..." I took a deep breath. "I HATE YOU AAAALLL!"

Some would say I ran away, but in Buchou's words, it would be more of a 'tactical retreat'. Some would also say that I was crying a little as I ran. Those of you who say that might wanna think about what you saw more carefully if you want to keep all of your teeth.

And that's how the final day of training ended.

True, I was humiliated. But I was also determined. They (excluding Buchou) were idiots, but they were good people. I was blessed by all that was unholy to become friends with such good people.

My resolve was confirmed as well.

I would protect Buchou. I would smash Riser into the ground. I WOULD win.

After all, I still have my trump card...

**And with that, I am finally finished with the training! It took a while, but I got it done! Shirou is definitely in love with Rias. But just wait. You think romance is going to be completely canonical, but I have my own twists and turns to throw in so be patient~!**

**Thanks for the reads and reviews~!**

**Bye-Bye~!**


	14. Chapter 13: Gremory vs Phenex

****And it's time for the Rias vs Riser Rating Game~! The main event~! Oh what fun it will be~!****

****I've decided that I'll try to end this in one chapter. It's all I can do right now really. Might as well.****

****Disclaimer: I own nothing except OC's****

****Chapter 13:****

****Gremory vs. Phenex****

**[Occult Research Clubroom]**

The day of the [Rating Game] finally arrived.

I had to admit that it was like the calm before the storm. All Devil jobs were cancelled for the day and everyone went home immediately after school that day to rest. Perhaps sensing my on-edge mood, Makoto didn't bother me after I got home.

At 10 o' clock at night, I had one and a half hours left until I had depart to meet up with the others. I had to admit that midnight was an appropriate time to start an important [Rating Game].

I was just sitting in my bed, staring out the window at the dark outside world.

I just wished I could wear something more awesome. When I step into that arena, I would like to be wearing something badass, like a mantle that a cliché OP badass from a TV show would wear. But nope. Buchou said that it was going to be us as the Occult Research Club. Thus we wear school uniforms.

I had no idea what Sakura and Suu were doing.

I had Yuuma, Mittelt, and Kalawarner getting a celebration ready. I really wanted to party when we kicked that smug yakitori's ass!

I breathed in deeply before exhaling, releasing some of the stress that had built up in my body. To say I wasn't nervous whatsoever would make me a liar. I was nervous. We were fighting with Buchou's future at stake and I couldn't afford to lose her. I'm not even gonna bother hiding it.

I was in love with her. It was too similar to that feeling I've had before to not be love.

I would be fighting with my love on the line. That was more than enough motivation for me to win.

I'm winning for you, Buchoooou!

I slapped myself across the face. "Baka Shirou...You know the odds of her returning these feelings are small..." I whispered to myself. I clenched my fists in front of me. "...but I WILL pursue these feelings..."

At the very least I would kick Riser's ass. With my new techniques that I learned during my training in my Inner World thanks to Ddraig, there was no way I could lose. But my opponent was a guy with top-notch regeneration abilities. I would have to fight my best and save my trump card for the end.

KNOCK KNOCK

I paused at the sound of the door. "It's not locked. Come on in."

"O-Oh...O-OK." It was Asia's voice who answered me. The door opened to allow me to see the former Sister...dressed in her former Sister outfit. She was only missing her rosario (obviously) and her veil, revealing her adorable and lovable face.

I smiled warmly at her outfit. "That brings back the memories of how we met, doesn't it, Asia?"

Asia's face reddened slightly. "Y-Yes...I remember when we first became friends, I asked Buchou-san what I should wear, she told me, "Wear something that you feel the most comfortable in". I thought about it a lot, and I found out that this outfit is the easiest for me to move around in. …I'm not a Christian anymore, but I haven't forgotten my beliefs. Even though I'm a Devil now…"

"Yeah, I can't help but feel it's one of the outfits you look more natural in." I admitted. "That and the school uniform. You look cute in both."

"T-Thank you very much." Asia said with an incredibly happy face. Her expression suddenly became hesitant. "U-Um...Shirou-san...can I sit beside you?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Sure. No problem." I patted the empty space on the bed next to me, signalling her to sit down.

I wasn't surprised when she sat down. I WAS, however, surprised when she latched onto my arm, hugging me tightly and shaking nervously.

I felt my face heat up. "A-Asia? I-Is there something wrong?" From the way she was shaking, I was certain something was bothering Asia. I felt bad seeing her this nervous about something. I just wanted to hug her and tell her everything would be alright...Huh. Strange how I worded it like that...

"…I can't stop shaking when I think that there is a scary battle waiting for us. But if Shirou-san is with me, I will be okay."

I stared at the former Sister with concerned eyes. "Asia..." And suddenly the thought I had thought before became reality. Before I could think about what I was doing, I took my free arm and wrapped it around Asia, pulling her into a warm embrace.

"S-Shirou-san!" She was surprised by my hug.

I looked down at Asia and smiled again. "Don't worry, Asia. As long as I'm around, there'll be nothing to be afraid of. Not just me. Buchou, Akeno-san, Koneko-chan, Kalawarner, everyone. As long as all of our friends are around, there'll never be anything to be afraid of, OK?"

Asia turned her face upward and smiled at me, her face still slightly red. "I know. As long as Shirou-san is with me, I won't be scared…Can I stay like this until we leave?"

I rubbed Asia's back gently. "Of course. I'll stay by your side for as long as you'd like, Asia."

I wasn't quite sure why, but I felt embarrassed about my words.

"…Can I stay with you forever from now on?"

"If that is what you want, Asia. We will always be together." Until we had to leave, I just held Asia close to me, reassuring her as the time before the decisive battle slowly ticked away.

When we left, Asia was no longer shaking and I had no more doubts.

It wasn't that we couldn't lose.

We WOULDN'T.

With everyone by my side-Wanna know what? No cliché. I'm not going to say such a thing as sappy as that...

And so we went to meet with everyone.

* * *

**[Occult Research Club Clubroom]**

Twenty minutes to midnight, we all gathered at the clubroom, sitting in relaxing positions, trying to get some last-minute rest before we march to war so to speak.

Kiba was equipped with a gauntlet on his hands and had some armour on his lower leg. He had his swords against the wall.

Koneko-chan was sitting on a chair, reading a book. She was wearing fingerless martial arts gloves. She looked pretty intense...as intense as a loli reading a book while wearing martial arts gloves can look. And that's a lot.

Buchou and Akeno-san, the two Onee-samas currently present (Kalawarner was still with the other Fallen Angel girls), were elegantly drinking tea in a calm manner.

Asia and I sat quietly next to one another on one of the other couches. We were about to reach the end of the calm, but we all managed to keep our cools.

Ten minutes before the match, a familiar silver-haired maid appeared from the glowing magic-circle on the ground.

"Is everyone ready? It's ten minutes before the match."

We all confirmed our readiness to Grayfia. And then Grayfia began to explain about the battle.

"When it becomes the time to start the battle, you will be teleported to the battlefield through this magic-circle. The location of the place is in a different dimension used for battles. You may fight with all your power. It's a disposable space so feel free to fight to your satisfaction."

I perked up at that. "I like the sound of that." That meant I didn't even have to try to hold back.

It made sense. If we all fought in either human or Devil world, we would cause untold destruction and chaos...bwahahahahahaha! (But no not really. I prefer peace over chaos.)

I turned to Buchou. "Hey, Buchou..." I felt myself blushing. We were about to go into battle. Maybe a tough enough battle that Buchou will forget anything I say now so that makes it the perfect time to confess how I feel.

Buchou turned to me with a curious expresson. "Yes, Shirou?"

"I..." I trailed off, my mouth hanging home. Shit! I froze! DO SOMETHING! "...I...er...I was wondering if you had any other servants anywhere else, hehehehe!" Nice save!...Oh who am I kidding? I'm pathetic. "I-I mean...er..." I mean, she never did say that we were the only servants she had. We could just be the only servants she has who are in high school. She could have some kind of child with the ability to create things from his imagination or maybe some...Nope. My imagination trailed off cos I got stuck on that first idea. I mean, the power to create monsters from my imagination? That sounds totally awesome! I could create powerful monsters to fight myself.

I couldn't help but notice a strange expression on Buchou's face as she nodded. "Yes. A [Bishop]. My other [Bishop]. He's occupied with another job. Unfortunately, he can't participate. Though there will be a time when I will talk about that in the near future." She avoided my eyes and I felt my heart sink.

I wasn't quite sure what that meant, but I WAS sure I fucked up. It clearly wasn't the best topic.

Smooth, Shirou. Reeeeaaaaal smooth.

I hung my head, my gaze depressingly glued to the ground.

Despite the atmosphere, Grayfia continued to speak.

"This [Rating Game] battle will also be viewed by members of both households from a different location through broadcast."

I frowned, my previous depression fading into annoyance. The guys who forced this fate upon Buchou were gathered around to watch us. I was going to show them why they didn't mess with...my master...

Wait. Buchou's parents are watching! This would be the perfect opportunity to make a good impression through how I fight!

My fighting spirit was reignited.

"Maou Lucifer-sama will also be viewing this battle. Please do not forget about it."

I tensed, standing upright. "Lucifer-sama?!" I couldn't help but wonder why one of the current four Maou would be watching this particular [Rating Game].

"Onii-sama is? …I see, so Onii-sama is also going to view this battle..."

I blinked. I stared at Buchou. "'Onii-sama'?" I pointed to Buchou, asking another question silently, and then turned to the others. Kiba nodded.

"Buchou's brother is indeed the Maou-sama."

It was at that moment that my mind exploded. "WHAAAAAAAT?! MAOU!? Your brother is a MAOU-SAMA!?" I couldn't keep the incredible shock out of my voice. I shook my head. "N-No way! I know that the Maou-samas aren't the same ones as before, but I didn't think that one of them was your Onii-sama! Y-You have different last names!"

I learned who the current and only Maous were, but I was never told where they came from.

"I can explain, Master." I was surprised when the door opened to reveal Sakura, surprisingly dressed in a violet dress that matched her hair color. Her expression was surprisingly calm and just...blank. It was completely different from the shy yet warm Great Snake she was before. She turned to Grayfia and bowed. "I simply wished to see Master off. Please do not mind me."

There was something about Grayfia that seemed unsettled by Sakura's appearance, but she said nothing. Sakura then turned back to me.

"As you know, the true Maou-samas perished in the Great War long ago. But without Maou-samas, the Devils wouldn't survive. So the Devils chose to pass the names of four Maous onto four Devils with enormous power. The four current Maou-samas, despite not possessing any shared blood with the originals, are Ultimate-class Devils who inherited their names." I was a little shocked by the incredibly serious explanation Sakura gave, more-so because she sounded like she had been studying this kind of thing a lot and wasn't entirely happy.

I stared. "Wow...that was...rather well-explained. Good job, Sakura." Sakura's previous expression changed into an embarrassed smile, a light blush on her face.

"T-Thank you, Master. I'm glad my explanation was helpful." Wow. Talk about a sudden mood change.

I was definitely going to question that later, but for now, Kiba took up the explanation from there.

"To tell you the truth, out of the three factions, the Angels, the Fallen Angels and the Devils, the Devils have the least power. We are actually in a tight spot but we are still safe because the current Maou-samas has a power equal to the previous Maou-samas."

I smiled to myself. "So Buchou's brother was chosen to be a Maou from the Ultimate-class Devils then..." That must've meant he was really strong!

"Sirzechs Lucifer—who is also known as the "Crimson Satan". He is Buchou's brother and the most powerful Maou-sama."

...So it's 'Sirzechs Lucifer', huh? He must've given up his last name and right as heir when he became a Maou. He gave up one responsibility for an even greater one...

I closed my eyes, thinking. "So that's why Buchou needs to inherit her household..."

The man who carried the Devil world on his back. And he's supposed to be as strong as the original Maou. Buchou's family was definitely amazing.

"It's about time. Everyone, please head to the magic-circle." Grayfia urged us. We did as told and we all gathered in the magic-circle excluding Sakura who was waving us goodbye and wishing us good luck.

"Fight your best, Master!" Sakura shouted to us. I shot her a thumbs up, grinning.

"Also, once you get transported, you cannot use the magic-circle until the game ends." Grayfia explained.

Once we were in, there was no getting out until a clear result had been reached. I couldn't help but marvel at the magic-circle below us. It was neither Gremory nor Phenex. I assumed it was one used for [Rating Games].

Then the light from the circle began to cover us.

Then we were gone...

* * *

**[Alternate Kuoh- Rating Game]**

...Is what I'd like to say. But when I opened my eyes, we were in a room just like the clubroom.

But I knew we were indeed somewhere else though. Even though everything looked the same, it felt different somehow...

[Hello everyone. I am Grayfia, a maid from the House of Gremory and today I will be the arbiter of the Rating match between the House of Gremory and the House of Phenex.]

I looked around for the source of the voice. It was like some sort of broadcast.

[In the name of my Master, Sirzechs Lucifer, I will be keeping my eye on this match. By using both Rias-sama and Raiser-sama's opinion, we created this battlefield which is a replica of the school, Kuoh Academy, which Rias-sama attends to in the human world.]

I crossed my arms. So it WAS a replica. I liked the fact that we were technically fighting on our own terf. I knew the school grounds almost better than anyone else. I spent a lot of time finding relaxing spots during my free time where people won't bother me.

[The location where both teams were transported will be their "base". Rias-sama's "base" would be the Occult Research Cub's clubroom located in the old school building. Riser-sama's "base" would be the Student Council's room located in the new building. For the [Pawns] to use "promotion", please head to the enemy's base to do it.]

It made sense. A [Rating Game] was based off of chess. For a [Pawn] to be able to use [Promotion], it made sense for us to need to fight our way to the enemy base. I could promote to any piece other than [King] so that could mean the difference between victory and defeat. Riser had an advantage on us by having eight Pawns. If all eight of them reached our base and promoted to [Queen], I doubt even I could take them all on at once. Even if I used my trump card early, it would be a hard fight.

So I had to reach the enemy's base, the Student Council room, and take down all of Riser's [Pawns]. It was of the utmost importance to take them out so they couldn't promote to [Queen].

This was where the game got serious. I had to treat this like an actual battle. I couldn't slack off even it was a game. Because this game decided Buchou's future.

"Everyone, will you all please put this transceiver in your ears." Akeno-san handed each of us earphone-type transceivers.

We all inserted ours into our ears.

"At the battlefield, we will be using this to communicate with each other." Buchou explained.

Since, unlike a chess game, actual people were fighting, we had to keep in contact in order to receive orders from our [King].

Grayfia's voice sounded again. [Now it's the time for the commencement of the battle. Also, this match will continue till dawn in the humans time. So, Game starts now.]

RING

The school bell rang, signalling the start of the game.

* * *

"First we have to take down Raiser's [Pawns]. It will be troublesome if they all promote into [Queen]."

We were in the midst of creating our plans for the game.

Buchou spoke calm and confidently...Damn, she's beautiful-FOCUS, SHIROU!

We had to take our time to form a strategy because, like chess, Rating Games took a quite a bit of time to complete.

"Yuuto," Buchou's voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

"Yes." Kiba then spread out a map on the table before us. It mapped the entire school area, except I noticed something strange. It took me only a few seconds to realize it was based on a chessboard version of our school.

"There's a forest near our base." Buchou marked our base and the enemy's base on the map. "It's safe to assume that this is also our territory." She pointed at another area on the map. "In other words the new school building would be Raiser's territory. It's quite possible that there will be an ambush when you enter their territory. The school field is visible from the new school building. So it's dangerous to pass through here." She gestured to another area.

The game was made more challenging because we couldn't teleport back and forth using magic-circles. We were gonna have to rely on our feet since flying would make us sitting ducks. I've tried training in using my wings during my free time, but it usually just ended with my falling out of a tree or off a rooftop, only survivng due to my enhanced Devil body.

"Then do we have to go through the sports ground to get to the new school building?" I asked. I wanted to be more interactive with our strategy.

Buchou chuckled. "Normally, yes. But the enemy will also know that. So he'll have his servant positioned at the sports ground. … He'll have his [Knight] or [Rook] positioned at one of the clubrooms located in the sports ground. No, if it's a sports ground, you will need a person with "mobility". So he'll have one [Knight] and three [Pawns], a total of four servants positioned here. Then he'll have control of the whole sports ground."

I raised my hand uncertainly. "What about the gym, Buchou?" I asked, raising the point. "Shouldn't that be the first location we try to occupy? If we capture it before the enemy, we have another route to get to the enemy base. Since it's a passage into both buildings, we could continue our movement forward and also restrict our enemy's movements." The gym seemed like a key location on this map. When I applied my knowledge in chess to this game, it was much easier to talk strategy.

Buchou nodded, smiling. I felt happy that Buchou was smiling about something I've said.

"Yes, I also have the same opinion. First we will capture the gym." Yes! Score 1 for Shirou! "In terms of location, the opponent may have his [Rook] positioned there. Since it's inside a building, it would be better to use the [Rook] with destructive power over [Knight] with mobility."

I know that I should've left the plan-making to the others, but I didn't want to sit back and do nothing. So I chose to take part in it.

"…Yuuto and Koneko, you two set a trap in the forest. Take another map with you and make sure you mark the places where you set the trap in. I will make a copy afterwards and hand it to everyone."

"Yes."

"...Roger."

Said mentioned servants walked out of the room with a toolbox filled with stuff that I don't think I want to know about. Trap-making parts I assume, but I don't know how much more different Devil traps are from human traps.

"Everyone else will be on standby until they finish setting up the trap." Buchou stated. "Oh, Akeno."

Akeno-san turned to Buchou. "Yes?"

"After Yuuto and Koneko returns, can you cast illusions and mists around the forest and the sky?" Buchou asked. "Obviously a trap that only reacts to Raiser's group. That's what the start of the match will be like, though it seems like this battle will become intense midway through it. So I'll leave the issue regarding the mists and the illusions to you, Akeno."

"I understand, Buchou." And thus our grand strategy had been started...but...

"So what is the lone [Pawn] supposed to do, Buchou?" I understood that, as a [Pawn], I would be fighting on the frontlines, but Buchou had never told me what exactly my part in the plan was.

Buchou smiled at me. "Shirou, you are a [Pawn] so you have to use [Promotion]."

"Yes, Buchou!" I agreed proudly. I assumed my role from there was to go around the "board" and help the others eliminate Riser's Peerage or maybe even Riser himself.

I then noticed that Buchou was waving her hand towards me. "Sit here."

I blinked. "Eh?" I looked at the empty seat next to Buchou and decided to sit as asked. I thought that was all until Buchou pointed at her lap. "Now lay down here."

I felt my face heat up unbelievably fast after that order. "Y-Yes, Buchou." I swallowed a little, laying my head down on her lap pillow. I held my breath, trying to keep control when I felt how smooth and soft Buchou's lap pillow was. No matter how badly I wanted to, I couldn't do something disrespectful towards Buchou like rubbing my face against her soft, pillow-like lap.

I won't lie, this isn't the first time I've done such a thing in all of my dating history, but Buchou's legs were by far the softest and most gentle-feeling.

"Are you alright, Shirou?" Buchou asked with mild concern. It was then that I realized my face had turned red like a tomato. "Have you caught a fever?"

"N-No, Buchou." I quickly said. "I'm fine. I-I'm just happy to be getting a lap pillow from Buchou."

"If it's just a lap pillow, then I will give it to you again."

"T-Thank you, Buchou!" Life is great~!

I couldn't help but feel nervous when I saw tears in Asia's eyes. She had a weird expression on her face. She was...angry? I don't know. She seemed a little unhappy...

Buchou placed a hand on my forehead. It...It was so soft...

"…I unlocked a small portion of the seal that I had cast on you."

I frowned, looking up at Buchou. "Seal?"

Then I felt it. A strange power growing inside of me. It started of small, but it grew slowly like a flame slowly consuming my insides. It wasn't a burning sensation. It was warm and gentle, yet powerful at the same time. I had a huge jump in energy.

"Whoa. That's amazing!" It felt like I just had five cans of Red Bull.

Then Buchou spoke into my ear. "Do you remember? The talk about where I used all my eight pieces of [Pawns] to reincarnate you?"

"Yeah. Because of my potential as a servant, you needed to use up all eight of your [Pawns] to bring me back to life."

"At that time, your strength as a Devil was low so I had to put a limit on your power as a [Pawn]. You, who just reincarnated from human, didn't have a body that could endure the power of eight pieces of [Pawns]. To put it simply, you would be the strongest after Akeno, so you needed to attain more power or else your body would break. So I just unsealed a bit of the seal."

I quickly shot up to my feet. "Then why not just undo more of it?! I understand that my body can only handle a certain amount, but if you undid more, then I could easily take on all of the enemies!" I had been training more than Buchou realized, so maybe I could handle just a TINY bit more of the seal being undone.

Buchou shook her head. "No. Shirou, your body will break if undo anymore...not to mention..." Buchou had a complicated expression on her face.

I frowned. "But Buchou-!"

"No!" For the first time so far, Buchou raised her voice to me. There wasn't anger, but rather, worry on her face. "Shirou, you will have to make do with the strength you have right now! I want to win, but I won't ever risk your life like that!" Buchou seemed to blink at her own words and her face reddened slightly. "I-I mean...Everyone's going to be depending on you, so you can't just put yourself at risk like that..."

I felt myself blushing as well. "Buchou..." I then smiled. "Right then. Even with my partially sealed power, I'll definitely smash that smug yakitori into the dirt!"

Buchou's blush faded as a small frown took its place. "Shirou...when I was undoing the seal...I felt something strange..." Buchou had an uncertain tone in her voice that worried me. "...Like another part was sealed...have you-" She shook her head. "Never mind. We'll discuss it more later. It's nothing that can't wait."

I nodded, somewhat unsettled by that, but not entirely worried. "Yes, Buchou."

Then Buchou returned to the previous topic. "Listen up, Shirou. You have to beat your opponent even if they are girls, okay? You can't hold back. They won't hold back against you."

I scratched my head awkwardly. "Well...honestly I don't mind hitting girls-WHEN THEY ARE ENEMIES-" I quickly added that so I didn't sound like some kind of brute to Buchou. "...but..." I felt my blush returning a little. "...You know those smaller girls and the cute girls...Yeah I don't think I can hit them..."

Buchou blinked. "What?"

I groaned. "I-I just can't hit cute or small things! It's not in my nature!" No I'm not a lolicon, but I just like cute things and I don't like hitting them. Cute things are one of the many things I will never hi-I mean...shut up.

"Well, that will severely limit your abilities, Shirou." Buchou stated.

Then an idea popped into my head. "Buchou! Are we allowed to summon familiars during [Rating Games]?!"

Buchou seemed confused. "I-It's not prohibited. So 'yes' I suppose." She paused. "Why?"

A cold and expressionless look, like that of a man whose soul had died, appeared on my face. "The less you know, Buchou, the better. Let's just say that the shame of what I'm planning will follow me for the rest of my life."

Buchou sweatdropped slightly at my words, but didn't question them. "Well, if that is decided, then one more thing. Use the [Promotion] to change into [Queen]. The battle will change if you promote into the [Queen] that possess the strongest power."

Promoting to [Queen] will definitely ensure that my attacks pack more of a punch, so it's a given that I'm going to rank up...I wonder if it'll make the ass-kicking I give Riser any more fulfilling.

"Yes, Buchou!" I regained my fighting spirit again. "I'll definitely make you the winner!"

Buchou was once again smiling. "Yes, I will be relying on you. My adorable, Shirou."

I loved that smile...maybe if I won...I could...No no! I'll keep my feelings! I want Buchou to find her true love! I don't want to trick her into loving me just because I save the day!...But maybe someday...

"Um...Buchou..." I began to shift uncomfortably, my cheeks turning pink. "Now that that's taken care of...could I...could we do the 'lap pillow' again...?" I couldn't help it! Her lap was just so soft! Even softer than Kalawarner's!

Buchou giggled a bit at my question. "Of course."

And so I spent the rest of my time getting a lap pillow from Buchou and Asia giving me sharp eyes until Koneko-chan and Kiba got back.

It wasn't too soon after that that we put our plan in motion. Asia would stay with Buchou for now since none of us were injured yet and as there was no point putting her in needless danger. Meanwhile Buchou would stay put and await a potential visit from Riser.

"Now then, my adorable servants. Are you ready? We can't turn back now. Our enemy is Raiser, who is said to be a genius from the immortal House of the Phoenix with a promised career. Now then! Let's go and blow them away!"

""YES!"" We all spoke in unison.

Our fight had just begun.

* * *

Upon leaving the entrance to our base, we all split up to carry out our respective parts of the plan. Akeno-san and Kiba would continue setting traps. Meanwhile, Koneko-chan and I would be live bait.

What fun!

We tried stealthily entering the backdoor, but I wasn't in the mood for this bullshit, so I just kicked it open. "OK! We all know that the other group is present, so just come out and save us the time of hunting you down!" I called such provoking words into the gym.

"We know you are there, servants of Gremory! We watched you coming inside."

"Uh no duh!" I said. Koneko-chan and I entered walked closer to the court in the gym, allowing us to witness four individuals. Women from Riser's Peerage no doubt.

There was a woman in a chinese dress, the two adorable twins that I noticed earlier, and-

"Well if it isn't the bitch with the staff!" I let my malice towards the girl I remembered as Mira be clear. I glared at her and she tensed, ready to fight at any moment. I waved off my previous remarks. "Oh I'm sorry. I tend to have an unnecessary potty mouth around the people who BEAT MY FAMILIAR WITH A STICK!"

OK. On my list of people who I plan to smash into the dirt, this girl comes first, THEN Riser. I was going to make her pay for hurting Sakura!

"So a potty mouth [Pawn] and a [Rook], huh?" The girl with the chinese dress noted with a smirk. "Well, let's introduce ourselves, shall we? I'm Xuelan, a [Rook]."

"Mira, a [Pawn]," Mira reintroduced herself, staring nervously at me. She clearly remembered that powerful punch I gave her last time. Even if it was in a burst of anger, I was much stronger than last time.

""Ile and Nel, both [Pawns]!"" I felt the urge to cry. The two twins were too adorable! I couldn't bear the thought of hitting either of them!

But I had to do SOMETHING! It was important to our plan that I didn't retreat!

I summoned [Blade Genesis] and readied myself.

**[Reinforce!]**

I used one [Reinforcement] on my physical strength. I needed to be able to last in a fist fight if necessary.

"…I will leave the [Pawns] to you, Shirou-senpai." Koneko-chan stated. "I will take care of the [Rook]."

I nodded. "Right!" I summoned out a shortsword and readied myself to fight. I would start off small and gauge my enemy's strength.

Mira readied her staff to fight me. The twin girls grabbed their chainsaws with a sm-Wait...chainsaws?

""Disassembling time "" Both twins sang happily.

Not gonna lie. I paled a little. What kind of bastard lets children handle ch-Oh right this is Riser we're talking about.

I chuckled. "About that...No."

Mira spun her staff around like a professional. No way was I going to lose to her again!

The chainsaw massacre twins came at me, grinding their chainsaws across the floor.

One leaped and swung her chainsaw down at me, causing me to sidestep out of the way surprisingly easily. The other charged and swung her chainsaw, but I raised my sword to block, catching the whirring chainsaw on my blade. Sparks flew into the air from the contact between our weapons. With a quick shove, I knocked the twin backwards without seriously hurting her.

I cocked my head to the side just in time to avoid a staff blow that had been aimed at my throat. I swung my leg around and tried to hit Mira behind me, only for her to raise her staff and block, only being knocked back as a result.

I focused on the fight before me.

**[Reinforce!]**

This time I focused the reinforcement on my physical defense.

I ducked and dodged Ile and Nel and turned, crossing my arms as Mira rapidly jabbed her staff at me. I blocked or dodged each blow.

"Ah, geez! This is so frustrating~!"

"Why isn't it hitting him!?"

I had to admit the twins' tantrum at their inability to hit me was SO CUUUTE~!

...Maybe God (OW!) have mercy on me for what I am about to do...

I shook my head. "Sorry, but I can't hit you...but I can't let you hit me either."

"LIKE YOU GET A SAY, DUMBASS!"

"SHUT UP, LOSER!"

I frowned, blinking twice. "And suddenly I feel a lot less guilty about what I am about to do."

Mira raised an eyebrow, her staff still raised towards me. "And what is that?"

I smirked a little. "THIS." I crouched down and slammed my hand against the ground. A magic-circle appeared on the ground before me. "Come on out, Suu!" The blue light of my magic-circle illuminated my face for just a moment before I stepped back, allowing a strange bluish-green goo to flow out of the magic-circle, taking the form of a somewhat busty slime girl.

All three girls' jaws dropped.

"That-That-INDECENT!"

"PERVERT!"

"PERVY LOSER!"

They were of course referring to Suu's very clear nakedness. Suu smiled at me. "Master?"

I sighed, scratching my head. I turned to Mira. "You know, perhaps it's fitting that it's my other familiar to take you down since you hurt my first familiar...You see...Suu wasn't too happy when she found out Sakura got hurt..." I turned to Suu. "These are the girls..."

The kind smile on Suu's face froze. She suddenly enlarged and formed a slightly larger mass of slime. "Sakura-nee?"

I nodded. I pointed in Mira's direction. "Go get'em, Suu!"

The slime needed no further orders. The larger mass lunged forward at the three [Pawns].

I closed my eyes, waiting for the scene to play out.

""N-Noooooooooooooooooo!"" I cried a little to myself as their screams echoed throughout the gym.

I had been bracing myself, but I couldn't believe I had been cruel enough to damn them to such a fate.

Just to make sure it worked, I cracked an eye open and almost had a nosebleed.

Just as planned, their bodies were all covered in a lot of Suu's body slime, slowly dissolving away their weapons and clothing.

Their bodies were getting more and more naked with each passing second and I could see their oppai!

I could honestly understand what some guys liked about small breasts!

Mira opened her eyes, glaring at me with embarrassment all over her face as she tried to keep her modesty. "Y-You! W-Was that your big attack!?"

I closed my eyes, turning away. "No. THIS IS." I snapped my fingers, giving Suu the signal. I turned away, letting the three to their fate. "Finish it, Suu..."

"W-Why is the slime getting tighter?!"

"A-AH! M-My breasts! EEK!"

"W-What the Hell!? AH!"

"N-No! Not d-down there!"

""N-NOOOOOOOOOO!""

The mixed sounds of pleasure, suffering, and humilation rang throughout the gym.

An aura of depression covered my entire being. What kind of a sicko was I to do such a thing to them? It might've been more humane to just beat them into unconsciousness.

"YOU LOW PIECE OF GARBAGE!" One of the twins shouted at me over my shoulder.

"I-I hate you-AAHH!"

"E-Enemy of all women!"

"EEEK! N-NO wait! I-I'm sorry, just make it sto-NO NOT THERE!"

I covered my ears, crying to myself. I flashed back to my own trauma at my tormetor-turned-familiar.

I don't think there's a single deity in all of existence who would have mercy on a guy like me.

"I feel dead inside."

"...I misjudged you...Perverted slime master." Koneko-chan's words pierced my heart like no arrow could. I slumped down onto all fours.

"I know...I just want to die right now...I'm garbage..." I was definitely crying waterfalls at my own cruelty. I eventually got over it and jumped to my feet. "Let's...let's just go, Koneko-chan..." I wiped my eyes as I ran outside, shortly followed by Koneko-chan having gotten a message from Buchou.

"Are you running away!? This location is supposed to be a crucial place!"

We certainly left Riser's servants shocked.

And that's why you got tricked by the Gremory group!

There was a large flash and then an explosion as a large-scale lightning attack rained down, utterly destroying it.

[Riser Phenex-sama's three [Pawns] and one [Rook] retires!]

I looked up to see Akeno-san smiling with electricity crackling in her hand.

...She can be so hot sometimes.

I heard she was known as the "Priestess of Lightning"...

Note to self: Do. Not. Fuck. With Akeno.

I could sense Suu return through the magic-circle shortly before Akeno-san let loose on the gym, so it was good that she was okay.

I'll admit it. Even though she scarred me for life, the slime girl had kind of grown on me with her new innocent personality.

I sighed, turning to Koneko-chan. "We did it..." I slumped forward. "Koneko-chan, do you think that my soul will ever be forgiven for what I've done here today?

"...No."

"Please don't say thaaaat!" I was going to cry again. But she was right, even if she DID hit Sakura, even Mira didn't deserve such a cruel fate...

[Everyone, can you hear me? Akeno did a perfect attack and finished it. With this, the first phase of our plan is completed.]

Yep. Regardless of the methods we used, we took out a crucial point and several of Riser's servants. That, my friends, is a win.

[That lightning takes time to charge it to use for the second time after she uses it. So using it continuously is impossible. Though the enemy still has a greater number than us. We will also head out as soon as Akeno's demonic-power recovers, so I will leave the rest to each of you till then. So please move on to the next phase!]

"Yes!" I quickly got another jump start on my fighting spirit. I would decide the rest of my battles with my fists rather than slime!

So our [King] and [Bishop] were going to enter the fray soon. Koneko-chan and I would meet up with Kiba and clear out the sports court.

We were about to proceed when-

BANG!

A powerful explosion made itself known to me. My eyes widened.

I wasn't the one attacked.

I turned around where the sound came from and my eyes widened even further.

"…K-Koneko-chan..." My voice was hollow and broken when I saw her. She was on the ground with smoking from her. I ran to her side and held her gently. Her uniform was torn and she looked badly injured.

"Take that." An unknown voice said. When I looked up, there was a shadow up in the air flying with its wings spread. It was a woman dressed up as a mage and wearing her hood. Said woman laughed "Fufufu. When you hunt a prey, the best time to take them down is when the prey accomplished something because that's the time when the prey is the most vulnerable. It's enough for us to "sacrifice" many of our pieces in order to take down one of you. Your group has a small number of members to begin with. That alone will be enough to give a huge damage to your group, right? Even if you defeat us, you cannot defeat Riser-sama. It's useless to resist."

"…Shirou-senpai… Akeno-senpai…" Koneko-chan spoke in a disappearing voice, her face weakly expressing her regret. She looked like she wanted to cry but didn't have the energy to. "…I'm sorry …I wanted to be of more use to Buchou and-" I hugged her more tightly, as if trying to keep her form solid and from vanishing. Her body was beginning to be enveloped by a bright light.

Silent tears rolled down the sides of my face. I pulled away and smiled slightly. "It's alright, Koneko-chan. We're definitely going to win, OK?...and then we'll all celebrate together, OK?...I'll make whatever sweets you want and everything, so you don't have to feel sad..." Koneko-chan's eyes widened slightly, but a faint smile could be seen.

"...You better...keep your promise, senpai." Then Koneko-chan's body vanished completely, leaving not a trace of her in my arms.

Then the horrible announcement:

[Rias Gremory-sama's [Rook] retries.]

Now that Koneko-chan had been dealt a lot of damage, she was retired and forced out of the battlefield. To somewhere with medical equipment so I knew she would be okay...but she was still gone...

I had failed to protect another precious friend and comrade.

I stared blankly at my empty arms, tears still rolling down my face.

Her sadness...her anguish...all of her pain...the memories of all of them were etched into my mind...

I could feel something cracking deep inside me.

...Koneko-chan...your silent tears won't be forgotten...

I looked up at Akeno-san and smiled. "Akeno-san, could you please leave this to me?" I asked in a disturbingly sweet tone. "I'm afraid there's a change in plans." My eyes turned a dark-red color...like that of blood. I couldn't control the unbelievable amount of killing intent pouring out of my body.

Akeno-san seemed surprised. "Shirou, do you know what you're getting into? Your opponent is a [Queen], the strongest piece. You haven't even promoted yet."

My smile became even more disturbingly sweet. "Don't worry, Akeno-san. I'm just going to break her in half is all."

Riser's [Queen], Yubelluna, laughed at me. "You think that you, a [Pawn] who hasn't been a Devil for more than a few months, can challenge me? You're a joke! You're more pathetic than that white-haired [Rook] who just retired! You'll never be on my level let alone Riser-sama's!"

And then that thing inside of me...it shattered like a million pieces.

The killing intent that exploded out of me caused the very air around me to shake violently. I turned back to Akeno.

"_Oh, Akeno-chan. I'm not giving you a choice._" I couldn't help the killing intent that flew towards everyone around me indescriminately. "_Either you leave now, or you will see the ugliest state I've ever been in and scar yourself for life._"

Akeno-san's eyes widened, but then a smile and a light blush appeared on her face. "Ara ara. I have to admit you look rather manly right now, Shirou-kun~!" Then she left.

[SHIROU! What do you think you're doing!?] Buchou was pissed, but nearly as pissed as I was.

"There's been a change in plans." I placed a finger on the switch on my transceiver. "Akeno-san will be taking my place. Bye-bye." I turned off the transceiver and looked back up at Riser's [Queen].

"You truly think that you can defeat a [Queen] with more combat experience? Even if by some miracle you defeat me, your precious Rias will fall just like any other opponent who has gone up against Riser-sama."

I stared blankly at her for several seconds. I breathed in...and out. "You...are a bitch. THAT, if it was just that, I could put up with it, but you made three major mistakes." I took a fighting stance. "One: You dared to insult my master. Two: You pissed me off. And three:...you made Koneko-chan have such a sad look." I dropped my fake smile and let my unbelievable rage spill out. "Koneko-chan...all of her feelings...all of her pain...**IT WON'T GO UNAVENGED!**" I pointed my palm towards Yubelluna. I closed my eyes.

**[Reinforce!]**

I reinforced the power of my magic. "[Reinforced...DRAGON SHOT]!"

If I had been more in my right mind, I would've noticed a strange different from my other [Dragon Shots]. Unlike the others, which if I had to pick a color would be named as red, this particular [Dragon Shot] was blue of all colors.

Yubelluna seemed surprised by my power, but managed to avoid it just in time to keep from becoming the roasted servant of a roasted chicken.

"My name is Shirou Fujimura! The [Pawn] or Rias Gremory!" I pointed at the bitch [Queen]. "And I'm the man who will kick your ass!" I summoned Kanshou and Bakuya in my hands.

Then everything faded into red...

* * *

**Akeno's POV...**

That look on Shirou-kun's face...it was both amazing yet scary...

I had chosen to take a shortcut through the forest to meet with Kiba.

[Riser-sama's 3 [Pawns] retires.]

I assumed it was Kiba who took out those three [Pawns] as Shirou-kun was currently occupied with Riser's [Queen].

The passionate way he fought...how angry he became after Koneko...How badly he wanted to avenge her.

I placed a hand over my heart, a strange heat in my chest. Perhaps it was that feeling Buchou told me about when she read those 'certain mangas'.

With the way things were, it was more of a tie between Rias and Riser's Peerages.

There would be no clear upset in the balance until the outcome of Shirou-kun's battle is known.

I was so entrenched in my thoughts that I hadn't been aware of any other presences until a hand shot out and grabbed my arm. I was prepared to attack the owner until I turned to see Kiba's smiling face.

"Oh. Akeno-senpai?" Kiba seemed confused as to why it was me rather than Shirou-kun.

I shook my head. "Shirou stayed behind to fight Riser's [Queen] after..."

Kiba's smile became sadder. "I heard the announcement, so I know as well. She must be regretting it. Not just her, but Shirou-kun too..."

We both know Shirou despite having known him a few months.

He was impulsive sometimes, irresponsible, but he had a good heart. It was clear that one of the things that hurt Shirou more than anything else was being unable to protect people he cares about...

I sighed. "We must continue as planned. We'll improvise since Shirou-kun is not with us..."

Kiba nodded. "Let's win and make them pay. For Koneko-chan!" He then smiled bashfully. "Sorry. I just said something I thought Shirou-kun would say. Hehehe."

* * *

**Shirou's POV...**

I don't know why, but I got the sudden urge to smack Kiba upside the head.

It was one of my few moment's of sanity during my fight with Yubelluna that I felt something other than blistering fury.

...Die, stupid prince...

* * *

**Kiba's POV...**

Akeno and I charged towards the enemy stronghold as we approached it. We hid ourselves before the sports field.

The clubroom at at the sports court was an important location. I somehow managed to lure the [Pawns] that were keeping their eyes over there and took them down. But the person in charge of this location is quite calm and hasn't responded to my provocation.

It seemed that the person in charge used [Pawns] to watch my attacks.

If Shirou had been present, he would've been disgusted by Riser's strategy. To sacrifice ones' comrades or servants so easily wouldn't be an idea that appealed to the white-haired boy.

"The enemies who are in charge of here are one [Knight], one [Rook], and one [Bishop]. Three pieces in total." I explained. Akeno nodded.

"They have a powerful defense here."

"Well, that's how much they are keeping up their guard for this place." It was awfully close to the enemy's base after all. "Against our intrusion here, that is. Since we eliminated the gym, they will put more strength here."

Luckily, thanks to Shirou-kun, their [Queen] wasn't there. I could only hope he could win.

Akeno seemed more believing that he would. Perhaps if I had seen the look in his eyes that she described, even my few doubts would be erased.

Still, Akeno wasn't much for close-range combat. She was going to have to try to stay in the air, raining magic attacks from above.

"I'm the [Knight] of Raiser Phoenix-sama, Karlamine!" A brave voice spoke. "I've become bored of trying to sniff through each other's strategy! Rias Gremory's [Knight]! I challenge you to a duel!"

At the baseball court, there was a woman clad in armor standing in the center daringly.

I laughed at her boldness. "Since she introduced herself, I can't hide myself both as a [Knight] and as a swordsman." I said to Akeno.

I think I heard her sigh as I walked straight to the baseball court. Despite this, she followed after me.

"I'm the [Knight] of Rias Gremory, Kiba Yuuto."

"I'm the [Queen], Akeno Himejima."

Both Akeno and I named ourselves to Riser's [Knight], Karlamine. She made a happy face at our introductions.

"I'm happy that there are warriors like you two in Rias Gremory's group. Coming out here directly from the front. That's something people with normal sanity won't do."

"I prefer to call it improvising." I think I heard Akeno whisper. She was smiling, so it was hard to tell.

"But I love idiots like you two." The female [Knight] stated proudly. "Now then, let's begin."

Karlamine drew her sword and I drew mine. "The match between [Knights]. I have been waiting for this. Personally I would like to fight in an intense sword fight." I smiled. This was the kind of fight I preferred.

"Well said! Rias Gremory's [Knight]!"

Then she started to slash at me as if dancing. Our swords created sparks as they clashed against one another. With the intense speed we both shared, it would've been difficult to follow us with the eyes of a normal person.

Out of the corner of my eyes, I noticed Akeno engaging Riser's [Rook], Isabella, and the little sister of Riser Phenex, his [Bishop], Ravel Phenex.

Akeno took to the air as Isabella attacked.

Karlamine and I continued exchanging strikes one another.

Then my opponent blew a part of [Holy Eraser] with her own flaming sword.

"Unfortunately, your Sacred Gear won't work on me." Karlamine stated, proud at herself for seemingly destroying my 'only weapon'.

I couldn't help a smirk. "Then I will also tell you this. Unfortunately, this isn't everything of my Sacred Gear."

"What? Nonsense. [Knight] of Gremory, it's unsightly for a swordsman to…"

I then spoke in a small voice. "—Freeze." The temperature around me dropped. I focused on using my Sacred Gear. Then ice began to gather around my sword, freezing slowly, taking another sword shape."In front of this sword, [Flame Delete], all types of fire will disappear."

Karlamine, surprised, still continued to slash her sword. "A-Absurd! Are you telling me that you have two Sacred Gears!?"

The moment our swords made contact, the flame sword started to freeze solid.

Then a cracking souind. Then the sword shattered.

But Karlamine didn't stop attacking. As soon as she threw away her sword, she took a short sword from her hip. She raised it into the air and spoke loudly. "We are the members of the all mighty House of Phenex that rule over fire and wind! Taste it! The whirlwind o-"

"_Look out belooow!"_

The sudden voice seemed to take both of us by surprise. I thought that it was another ally of Karlamine's, but she seemed just as confused as I was.

Then I realized that I recognized that voice. Being wiser than Karlamine, I leaped backwards just in time as a large falling object smashed right into the area we were fighting in, hitting Riser's [Knight] square in the chest and sending her flying backwards.

I admit, in a way, it was somewhat humorous to see her proud speech interrupted.

"Hey, guys!" A familiar and somewhat tired voice greeted. In the crater created by the fallen object that was now smoking, a figure rose. My eyes widened.

"S-Shirou!?"

I was shocked to see my fellow sword-wielder standing up, many scratches, bruises, and burns over his body, yet somehow a confident smile on his face despite the poor condition he seemed to be in. Smoke rose off his body.

What was more shocking was the other 'object' he had his foot planted on.

It was Riser's [Queen]!

Her eyes were rolled back into her head and she seemed even worse off than Shirou-kun was. There were many sword wounds all over her body and even more bruises. Perhaps the most noticeable injury was her MISSING ARM which was now being held in Shirou-kun's own hand, her severed hand grasping something.

Shirou-kun waved. "'Sup?"

I blinked. "What...What happened to you...?"

Shirou-kun scratched his head. "...Honestly, I can't remember. I just remember red and blue. It's kind of fuzzy. One minute I'm dodging all of her attacks and getting blown the Hell up and then the next I'm cutting off her arm and crashing down here." He grinned. "But I think I won." Perhaps that was why he was so cheerful-looking despite the fact he had one foot planted on a half-dead woman. He had done what he set out to do: To avenge Koneko's defeat.

"Yubelluna!" Karlamine had returned and was utterly shocked to see her comrade in such a shape.

"N-No way..." I turned and realized that Riser's other remaining pieces were beginning to gather around, all of them being shocked at their [Queen] being defeated.

"Yubelluna-neesan?!"

"How could she have been defeated?"

Even Akeno and Isabella ceased their fighting to stare at the sight in wonder. Shirou-kun then pried something from Yubelluna's severed hand and held it up.

Phoenix Tears! What a powerful healing item!

He had severed her arm holding it so she couldn't use them on herself.

Then the defeated [Queen] began to be enveloped in a bright light that surrounded her body, even her severed arm. And then she vanished.

[Riser Phenex-sama's [Queen] retires.]

The announcement made the very air itself freeze with shock.

Then we turned back to Shirou-kun who had used that silence to use the Phoenix Tears on himself.

He grinned. "Listen up and listen good!" He jabbed a thumb at himself. "My name's Shirou Fujimura, the [Pawn] of Rias Gremory! I'm also the wielder of [Blade Genesis], a Sacred Gear evolved from [Boosted Gear]! This Sacred Gear I possess holds the Welsh-Dragon, Ddraig, within it! I am the current Sekiryuutei! So say your unholy prayers, because I'm the man who will KICK! YOUR! ASS!"

* * *

**Shirou's POV...**

I admit it. I felt like a total badass when I came crashing down with Riser's [Queen]!

But there was no time for that. I think Buchou was engaging Riser judging from the large fluctuations of power that I felt earlier. Whatever it was, it was serious.

I turned to Akeno-san. "Akeno, go support Buchou! Me and Kiba can handle things from here!" I turned to Kiba and gave him a look. He knew what I was talking about and nodded, a determined look on his face. Akeno-san seemed surprised.

"Shirou. Phoenix Tears don't restore your stamina. They heal physical injuries, but they don't-"

"Relaaaaax." I said coolly. I grinned.

"But you won't be able to win against all of them on your own."

"Didn't you say something similar to that when I took on Yubelluna?"

Akeno-san blinked, considering my argument. She looked at Kiba who nodded in agreement.

"We have a plan."

Akeno-san looked at the both of us, but eventually agreed and left once more.

Kiba and I stood back-to-back, staring at all of our surrounding enemies.

They still seemed shaken up by the fact that I kicked the ass of their [Queen], but they weren't just going to give up.

This was going to be a piece of cake.

I turned to Kiba and smirked. "Time to use _that move_, Kiba."

Kiba smiled back, but his eyes were serious. "You DO realize we still haven't entirely perfected that technique. We could very well end up impaling ourselves."

I laughed. "Yeah, but what's life without a few risks? IF we do screw up, if we're lucky, we might take them down with us."

Kiba sighed a little. "Very well. Let's hope it passes this final test."

I nodded. We were talking about a special attack me and Kiba had been working on during our midnight training sessions. On the second day of training we just joked about it a little when I found out the abilities of Kiba's [Sword Birth], but the idea got stuck in my head, and so we kept practicing my idea. It resulted in a few close calls, but we perfected it with each passing day. When I lost my spirit for the three days before Day 9, our practicing of the technique kind of dwindled, but I think we got the hang of it again during that last midnight training session.

Both Kiba and I reached one hand behind us, locking our hands together as we held the other one forward.

"What are they doing?!"

"Don't care! That guy took out Yubelluna! Stop him!"

All of Riser's servants charged us at once excluding the smaller girl who hung back...Ravel Phenex I think was her name. To think Riser was perverted enough to put his own adorable, little sister in his Peerage...The sick bastard.

I closed my eyes, focusing my reinforcements into the hand connected to Kiba's, slowly transferring it to his own body. I had to be careful. It was much more difficult using [Reinforcement] on another person's body or power. During one training session, I ended up accidentally paralyzing Kiba for a good hour.

Our enemies were coming faster and faster...but it was too late.

My eyes shot open. "Kiba! Now!" Both of our bodies exploded with power.

You see, all of those reinforcements were used on our sword-summoning abilities...

This was our attack.

Our voices rang out together. ""BLADE...REVOLUTION!"" The ground around us began to shake violently as if something was coming to the surface. The sound of screeching metal could be heard as well.

Then all at once, sports court becomes a sea of swords. There were different shapes of swords in various places where the blades were directed towards the sky. The whole area becomes like a display area of swords, both demonic and regular blades created by mine and Kiba's power mixing together. For the ones who tried using their wings to fly away, my swords completely shot out of the ground and flew at them.

Blades created by me and Kiba caused untold destruction and chaos.

It was a power created by reinforcing the power of both of our Sacred Gears' sword-creating abilities.

Thankfully none of the swords shot at us this time. Instead they bathed the area around us.

"…Impossible."

"Are you telling me this is also the power of the Dragon…?"

"No way!"

All of Riser's servants blurted out a variety of things in anguish shortly before all of their bodies were pierced by our swords. One by one, their bodies began to be enveloped by a bright light and vanish.

One by one they were retired...

...This is for you, Koneko-chan...I'm keeping my promise.

[Raiser Phoenix-sama's two [Pawns], two [Knights], one [Rook] and one [Bishop], retires.]

I frowned once the announcement was complete.

"Wait. 'One' [Bishop]?" I counted on my fingers all of the servants I heard in the announcements. There was all eight of Riser's [Pawns], his two [Rooks], his two [Knights], his [Queen], and one [Bishop]... "Aren't we missing one?"

Kiba tapped my shoulder and pointed. I looked up just in time to see the young Phenex sister flying away with her flaming wings.

I shrugged. "Oh well. I didn't really want to hit her anyway. Hitting such a cute girl would leave a bad taste in my mouth."

Kiba blinked. "...I don't understand your preferences at all."

Before I could figure out what he meant, I took a step forward and stumbled. Kiba rushed forward and caught me before I could hit the ground.

I was panting softly. "Sorry...between our combined technique's required reinforcements and my fight with the bitch [Queen], I think I'm a little tired..." Every part of my body was beginning to ache.

"Do you want to rest?" Kiba asked, concerned. "You can [Promote] and then follow me to Buchou later."

I shook my head, leaning on him a little. "No. Buchou's going...to need my trump card...if she wants to beat Riser..." I nudged him to take me closer to the base. "I have to promote now...and then I have to go and smash that yakitori..."

Kiba stared at me, searching my face for some sign that I was lying. He himself must've realized that even Buchou's power might not be able to exhaust Riser enough to beat his regeneration.

"Can this trump card truly defeat Riser?" Kiba asked, no doubt wondering if it was going to be worth it. I smirked.

"Well if you thought that our new [Blade Revolution] attack was powerful, then picture that power and multiply it by six."

One second Kiba was staring at me...and then the next he was running with me half following/half being dragged.

Even with the injuries he sustained, Kiba was still quite fast.

* * *

**Rias's POV...**

I admit I smirked smugly when I heard the announcement of the retirement of Riser's [Queen].

When Akeno had returned to my side along with Asia-chan, I was incredibly surprised when I learned it was SHIROU who not only defeated Riser's [Queen] but also helped Kiba in defeating his other pieces. I literally felt Shirou's power from where I stood, so there was no lying about the fact he truly was responsible.

Shirou...did you truly put forward such effort for my sake...?

While I hid it well, something about that thought created a strange heat in my chest. Like when I read a rather steamy romance scene in one of my mangas or one of the steamier scenes in one of those yaoi mangas.

Anyway, I also admit that I became even more confident when I saw that irritating confident smile on Riser's face fade a little. He was still smiling though even though half of his face was missing, having been blown away by my power.

"Even if I'm alone, you still think you stand a chance? Even if it's just me and my [Bishop]" I really hated that tone of his. I hated everything about him. "Tell me, Rias. What does it mean to take on an immortal? It means that no matter what you do, my regeneration will pick it up and make it nothing."

I gritted my teeth in outrage. It was true. No matter what I did, even obliterating every part of his body, he would always reform from the slightest spark. That's why he was still so confident.

"I'll admit it was a wonderful job considering it was your first game. You managed to gather the Sekiryuutei and the Lightning Priestess into your peerage. But that's it. They don't have the necessary power to face me. As they are now, they cannot stand against the 'Immortal Phoenix'. That is why I will extend my offer again. Surrender, Rias, and you won't have to feel the disgrace of getting stomped on."

"Shut your mouth, Raiser! I won't give up! My adorable servants have worked so hard to fight up to this point!" I placed a hand over my heart, remember certain words Shirou had spoken to me. "We haven't lost yet! We've only lost the moment we give up!"

"Well put, Buchou!" A familiar voice cried out. I turned to see two of my servants walking towards us.

"Shirou! Yuuto!" I ran to meet them. I only froze when I saw the state Shirou was in. He was panting, clearly exhausted. It was probably through sheer will that he was able to stand even with Yuuto's help.

But then Shirou gave me a thumbs up, grinning. Everything felt better then.

"Sorry we're late!" He spoke as though we were meeting for coffee. Using his strength, Shirou stood on his own and walked to my side.

Both relieved and happy that they were there, I turned back to Riser, my confidence returning tenfold.

"Even if you are immortal, you stand no chance against our numbers!" Even if Shirou was too tired to fight more, he had done enough and just having him there was oddly reassuring.

Riser stared at us...and then he broke out into laughter. "Huhuhu...HAHAHAHA!" He was laughing elatedly. "THESE are your reinforcements?! I will give you props, but your precious Sekiryuutei can barely stand! All of your combat-suited servants are too exhausted or injured to-"

"SHUT THE HELL UP, YOU GODDAMN YAKITORI!" I was surprised when a lone figure rushed past all of us, rushing up to Riser and impaling his torso with a sword.

The figure leaped back as a flame-covered fist swung at him, causing him to leave his sword embedded in Riser's body.

Despite having been incredibly exhausted a moment ago, Shirou stood confidently several feet from Riser.

"GAAAAAAAAAAH!" Riser hunched over in some sort of immense pain.

"What the-?!" I heard the scream of the girl I noted as Ravel Phenex.

I was surprised. Even my attacks hadn't caused him that much pain. I then looked at the sword and realized something.

The area around it was smoking. It was as if the sword was rejecting the person it was buried in, trying to burn him away out of existence. However, due to the fact that Shirou's blades were copies as he's told me, I don't think it would be quite powerful enough to do something like that.

But there was no doubt...

"A Holy Sword..." Yuuto let out in the slightest harsh whisper. I winced.

Please, just keep your hatred in check, Yuuto...this is Shirou, remember?

I couldn't blame him for the somewhat loathing expression he had towards the sword. After everything...

Riser continued screaming in pain as the Holy Sword continued burning him. "W-What?! A-A Holy Sword?! HOW?!"

Shirou smirked. "If it is a sword that has existed at any point in time, then [Blade Genesis] can create it. This applies to Holy Swords as well." With a furious yank, Riser hurriedly pulled the Holy Sword out, staring at his burning hands that were no doubt in pain just from grabbing the sword's hilt. The sword hit the ground and shattered into nothingness. "And that's just a taste of what I've got for you, Riser!"

I was confused by what Shirou meant. He was already exhausted. I still don't know how he was even able to hold a Holy Sword. He had almost killed himself the last time he tried to use one. What was different now?

"Ddraig...LET'S KICK THIS FIGHT INTO OVERDRIVE!"

Shirou raised [Blade Genesis] into the air and I was shocked as a bright light began to shine from the green gem embedded in the back of Shirou's palm.

[Welsh Dragon Blade Overdrive!]

The area around his body exploded with a powerful red aura.

Shirou leaped forward with his body still covered in his red aura.

"Yeah, I know!" Shirou seemed to be speaking to someone, but not those present...Could it be...? "I got thirty seconds even with my new power, so let's make this count, Ddraig!"

Then a strange armor began to equip on Shirou's body. The cloth around his arm seemed to move, spreading around his body.

Then suddenly Shirou was clothed in black armor made up of an unfamiliar material and was also covered in a red overcoat...

My jaw dropped. The only difference between Shirou's appearance now and Counter Guardian EMIYA from Fate/Stay Night was that Shirou lacked a tan and Shirou still had a green gem embedded in the back of his left hand.

No...perhaps I should be shocked about a different thought...

"Armor?! You made the power of Sekiryuutei shape into a physical form!?" Riser sounded truly shocked, having finally recovered from his previous pain.

"This is the power of the Emperor of Dragons! The Balance Breaker of my evolved Sacred Gear, [Blade Revelation]!"

Balance Breaker...was this...was this what Shirou had been training so hard for?

My amazement wouldn't cease for a single moment.

Shirou charged forward, two swords in his hands. Riser flew out of the way as my [Pawn] swung both of them down on him. But Shirou's blades didn't stop. Despite the fact that even Shirou wasn't that fast, a sword pierced Riser's chest from behind. More smoke came from Riser's body as the Holy Sword burned him. Then Shirou swung his two swords at Riser, slashing an X-shaped mark across his chest, sending blood spraying everywhere.

Riser, still possessing power, shoved Shirou away with his flames and retreated away from him.

Despite being hit, Shirou didn't seem to feel any pain as he quickly regained his balance.

"This shouldn't be possible!" Riser screeched at my servant. "Even with the Dragon cloth around your arm, you shouldn't be able to touch let alone wield a Holy Sword!"

Shirou smiled tiredly. "Not with my right hand I can't. But with my left, thanks to the fact that the holy power in swords I create are weaker than the originals, the holy power, even reinforced, is just low enough for me to use." I then noticed that his left arm was strange. His left arm was still covered in red cloth...but his fingertips were covered in some kind of material, ending in dagger-like finger tips.

Then a horrible thought ran through my mind, a thought that was spoken by Riser.

"…Did you give your…left arm to the Dragon residing in the Sacred Gear…? So that's the reason for your insane powers…!"

"Yeah, that's right." Shirou admitted. "I gave my left arm in order to use this power for a temporary period. My left arm is the arm of an actual Dragon...That's why I'm able to wield Holy Swords with this left hand of mine." His smile became sadder. "I would be so pathetic without this power..."

Shirou...

"If you do that, then your left arm won't return to normal! Do you know that!?"

"I DON'T GIVE A FUCK!" Shirou flew at Riser again, swinging a normal sword with his right hand and a Holy sword with his left. "Because of you, Akeno-san, Kiba, and Sakura all got hurt...Koneko-chan almost cried...and you're causing Buchou so much misery...My arm is more than a fair price to take you down!"

The holy sword embedded in Riser's torso again. He screamed in pain.

Three swords appeared around Shirou. Shirou stabbed his other sword into Riser before picking up two more. Riser tried to dodge or run away, but Shirou once again stabbed both swords into Riser's chest.

"With [Blade Revelation], I can sustain many more swords at once than I could before!" Shirou explained. "So I'm hitting you with everything I have, Riser!" Blade after blade, Shirou reduced Riser to nothing more than a pincushion.

Some of the swords were Holy Swords, but Riser's regeneration kept him from retiring. And it only prolonged his suffering.

"I'll protect everyone's happiness! Especially Buchou's!" Shirou exclaimed, drawing back from Riser who was struggling to stand with the weight of all of the blades piercing his body. With all of them refusing to fade, Riser's wounds couldn't heal entirely. Riser seemed to struggle with his breathing.

Not just my insides, but my face also started feeling hot for some reason.

"Even if it costs me my life! Even if..." Shirou seemed sad about his next words. "...Even if I have no place in it, I will give Buchou a happy future! I'll let her decide who she loves!" Shirou then pointed his palm out towards Riser, a strange ball of blue energy appearing in the center...wait. Blue?

**[Reinforce!]**

"I'm not strong like Koneko-chan..."

**[Reinforce!]**

"I can't heal like Asia..."

**[Reinforce!]**

"I can't wield a sword like Kiba can..."

**[Reinforce!]**

"I can't use magic like Akeno-san either..."

**[Reinforce!]**

"I can't even compare myself to Buchou..."

**[Reinforce!]**

There was sadness in Shirou's voice, yet a powerful determination.

Riser was trembling on all fours in absolute fear of my [Pawn's] power. He struggled to speak. "Y-You don't get it...This marriage is for the future of the Devil race...You'll be dooming us all if you do this!"

"I promised Buchou I would win, so I don't care!" Shirou shouted back, a burning rage present in his voice. "You tried to force Buchou to marry you...you went to such horrible lengths to force her...even though she hates you! That single fact...**IS UNFORGIVABLE!**" Shirou glared at Riser. "**GET BLOWN AWAY! [REINFORCED DRAGON SHOT]!**"

The small sphere in Shirou's palm exploded outwards, far outmatching the size and power of anything I could manage so far with my [Power of Destruction]. The blue powerful energy completely enveloped Riser, leaving no trace.

Shirou released a sigh. His armor glowed a bright color and then completely disappeared, leaving him in a tattered school uniform with his dragon arm.

But he didn't rest. I could understand why.

There was no announcement. That meant Riser hadn't retired.

Sure enough, a moment later, a small ember began to form in the air, slowly glowing and burning, recreating the person it had originally belonged to.

Riser was once again all fours, an expression of terror etched into his face.

Shirou looked down at Riser coldly. "It's time to finish this..." Shirou slowly stepped forward, creating one last sword to fully break Riser.

"ONII-SAMA!" Suddenly a familiar younger girl flew right in front of Riser. She had her arms outstretched in front of Riser as Shirou approached. "Please stop! We'll forfeit the match, so please stop!"

Shirou paused. Then he let go of his sword and scratched his cheek as a light blush replaced his previous emotions. "Ah, geez." He sounded embarrassed. "W-When such a cute girls asks, how can I say no..." It sounded like he was more talking to himself, but I don't think he realized we could hear him. Shirou sighed, looking back at Ravel Phenex. "Damn, I can't say no and I can't hit you either because you're too cute."

Ravel blinked several times, a tinge of pink covering her cheeks. "E-Eh!?"

For some reason...that warm feeling in my chest burned angrily towards Ravel when Shirou complimented her.

"But if Riser tries to go after Buchou again, I won't stop next time." Shirou explained softly to the girl, his cheeks still slightly pink. "Even if a cute girl like you intervenes, I won't stop."

Ravel quickly snapped out of whatever trance she was in and collected her brother. "F-Fine!"

A light surrounded them both as they were both retired.

Then came the final announcement.

[Riser Phenex-sama has retired from the game. Rias Gremory-sama is the victor.]

Shirou exhaled, turning back to me with a smile. "Buchou...I did it..." He took a step forward shortly before he seemed to trip on air, falling forward.

""Shirou!"" We all ran forward, but I was the first to meet up with him, catching my [Pawn] in my arms. I held him tightly and for a brief moment I feared the worst.

"...so tired..." He said in a faint whisper. This was followed by slow and soft breaths that told me had had simply fallen unconscious due to exhaustion.

It was then that I realized how much he had been fighting off his unconsciousness.

He defeated Riser's [Queen], a fair majority of the rest of his pieces with Kiba, and even Riser himself...

"Shirou...just rest for now..."

I held my beloved [Pawn] tightly, allowing him this moment to rest.

* * *

**Shirou's POV...**

I wasn't aware of how much time had passed.

I just remember feeling so tired when my eyes slowly slid open halfway.

I saw the beautiful color of crimson and a worried expression. I was about to go back to sleep when my brain processed the face I saw.

My eyes shot wide open. "Buchou!"

My master smiled with relief as she gently brushed my face. "It's okay, Shirou."

While her lap pillow was incredibly comfortable, I had to know something.

I sat up next to Buchou and turned around to face her. I also noticed that I was back in the Occult Research Clubroom. The others were standing around, staring at me.

"Welcome back, Shirou." Kalawarner greeted with a wink.

"Good to see you up and about~!"

"...G-Glad you're okay..."

Mittelt and Yuuma both greeted me as well.

Kiba smiled. "You truly saved the day."

"You did good, kid." Dohnaseek admitted, smirking.

Koneko-chan nodded at me, the slightest hint of a smile appearing on her face. "...Good morning, senpai."

"Shirou-san," Asia said with teary eyes. "You're okay..."

"Ara ara, the sleeping prince awakens." Akeno-san said in a teasing tone.

One by one, my friends greeted me, leaving me totally lost.

"T-The [Rating Game]...what happened?!"

"We won." Buchou explained in two words. "My engagement with Riser is off." Buchou's smile...I was glad to see it the moment I woke up.

I blushed lightly. "W-Well, if you married Riser then I wouldn't be able to tell you..." I trailed off. DAMN YOU, SHIROU! Even now you can't just say it. I trailed off.

Kalawarner giggled. "It looks like somebody's tongue-tied..."

My face reddened. "What...What I mean to say is..." No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't say those words. "...I'm just glad everything's okay now."

"You dummy." I noticed that Buchou's smile was bitter, but she was still relieved. I then realized that she was staring at my left arm. Now that it wasn't covered with my Sacred Gear, my left arm was revealed to be covered in red scales, with abnormal sharp claws coming out of it.

My dragon arm.

I could feel the atmosphere around me become much sadder.

"Your arm...So you gave your arm to the Dragon as a price to borrow that power right?" Buchou asked.

I nodded. "Yep. Even with the power I already had, I would never be able to beat Riser." I raised my Dragon arm. "So I sacrificed my left arm. A small price." I quickly grew annoyed with the sad atmosphere. "Would you guys stop moping around!? I'm not dead or anything, so stop acting so gloomy!" Everyon flinched at the force of my words.

Buchou stared at me with a sad expression. "Even if you stopped this one, but a new engagement might be brought in, you know? If you keep on doing this..."

I scratched my head, closing my eyes. "It's fine. If something like that happens, I'll think of something. Worst comes to worst, I could just pay a new price. My left arm, my eyes, my whole body if I must. Every part of my body belongs to you, Buchou."

There was a large intake of breath from everyone who stared at me with shocked expressions.

"What?" I asked, confused and too tired to figure out what the big deal was. "As Buchou's [Pawn], having been resurrected by her, my life belongs to her. She 'picked it up' after I lost it. So any part of my body would be worth saving Buchou." I flushed as I realized what I just said. "I-I mean that-"

I was unable to speak further as something obstructed my lips.

Said 'something' being Buchou's own lips.

When Buchou pulled away, she laughed at my shocked and embarrassed expression.

There were mixed reactions from everyone. Kiba gave me a genuine smile and what may have been a thumbs up. Akeno-san seemed happy as well. Asia seemed happy yet sad at the same time. The Fallen Angel girls pouted. Koneko-chan just turned her head away, unhappy (Did I make her angry or something?).

"My first kiss. It's something that girls treasure in Japan, right?"

My jaw dropped. "I-I-" I paused my face going blank. "I-I'm glad you gave it to me, Buchou." My face was absolutely red again.

"CAKE'S HERE!" The doors suddenly shot open as Sakura came in rolling a cart with a FIVE-LAYERED cake.

I blinked. "Eh?"

Sakura smiled at me. "Master said he wanted to celebrate with all of his friends when he won, so we made a cake."

I stared at everyone. I smiled softly to myself. "Everyone...Thanks. Thank you for being my friends."

""S-SO CUUUUUUTE~!"" Kalawarner, Asia, and Mittelt all shouted in perfect unison, redness on all of their faces as they stared at me.

I shot them a glare, blushing. "Shut up! I'm not cute! I'm vicious like a wolf!"

"Then why is the wolf blushing after being kissed by Buchou?" Akeno-san asked innocently.

"I-I wasn't blushing!"

"...Yes you were."

"No one was talking to you, Koneko-chan!"

"Tsun-"

I sighed. "Before we get into this bit..." I walked up and stood next to the cart carrying the cake along with several plates with silverware. I grinned. "I believe we have a celebration party to start." I raised a fist into the air. "To our first [Rating Game] victory!"

Everyone looked at one another before smiling.

And so we all celebrated together.

We laughed and everyone used the smiles that I wanted to protect.

It made me happy.

I really owe you one Ddraig. If it wasn't for those special [Dragon Shots], I never would've won against Riser's [Queen].

[That wasn't my power, partner.]

I paused at Ddraig's words. What? But my [Dragon Shots] were never blue before. What's up with that?

[I can't say. But I did feel something strange during your battle with that woman...Like something inside of you had cracked a little...maybe even broken...]

You mean Buchou's seal?

[No. I can tell the difference between the two...it was similar in form, but something else entirely. It had an entirely different puprose.]

Well that's...ominous. Is it dangerous? Is this what Buchou wanted to talk about earlier?

[To answer your questions in order: No. It's not dangerous and it shouldn't harm you. I'm certain this may have been what she wished to discuss, but it appears that is a matter for another day.]

So it appears...

I looked at all of my friends. All of them enjoying cake and smiling.

I grinned. Oh well! Whatever! I just beat Riser so it can wait!

I rejoined the party, feeling ready to face anything the world threw at me...

**First off! I have an important announcement!**

**I'm thinking about a new DxD story (Just a third DxD story to write along with Son of Sitri and Devil Reborn).**

**The story is an OC-Insert. "What if Issei had a younger sister" fic. Issei's sister would be named Hinata Hyoudo. She would be a year younger and one of the more popular girls in school (she loses to Rias, Akeno, Sona, and Tsubaki big time) due to her adorable puppy dog look and her kind nature. Like her brother, she has an immense fascination with breasts, being bisexual and slightly perverted. While she is willing to target others in romance, the person she loves almost more than anyone else is (dramatic music!)...ISSEI. That's right. She has a huge brother complex and is in love with Issei. She is also slightly into S&amp;M when her emotions are out of control, only becoming truly sadistic when her rage breaks such as when someone she loves (whether romantically or platonically) is hurt and masochistic when she's depressed. She loves Issei a lot, but places his happiness above her own, encouraging him to love others and indulging in their shared love for oppai, even pursuing girls and guys of her own.**

**No idea what her Sacred Gear would be but she would have a Bi-harem. There WILL be a few girls in her harem.  
**

**I was thinking about using one of the girls from the anime-only section, Murayama and Katase, as one of the girls...maybe have one of them as a girlfriend whom she is uncertain about. They will have serious moments because _ will doubt Hinata's feelings. Hinata initially chose to have a girlfriend because she figured she would never love a man more than Issei, but she thought wrong...It would be serious and funny at certain points. Plus Kiba needs to be straight in a harem for once.**

**Off-topic~**

**I'm accepting ideas on her Sacred Gear. It can be canon or no, but I need ideas.**

**If you're sending in an OC Sacred Gear, here is the format:**

**Name:**

**Appearance (Be descriptive!):**

**Abilities:**

**Balance Breaker:**

**Balance Breaker Appearance (Be descriptive!):**

**Abilities:**

**With that, the Riser arc is over! I wanted to split this up into two chapters, but then I would have one long chapter and one short chapter, two short chapters, or I could just do one chapter. So this is what resulted.**

**I hope people will consider my story idea!**

**Thanks for the reads and reviews~!**

**Bye-Bye~!**


	15. Chapter 14: Crushed

****It's time for the next chapter of Devil Reborn~! Since we just finished a story arc, we'll be taking a quick break to address something from earlier. So this'll be a chillaxed chapter~! Also, I hope people paid attention to the note at the end of the previous chapter...that's important to me.****

****I also hope people will pay attention to the ending message of the previous chapter...****

****Disclaimer: I own nothing except OC's.****

****Chapter 14:****

****Crushed****

I walked to school with bags under my eyes and an atmosphere of exhaustion hanging over me.

Why?

Because of my beloved master, Rias Gremory. That's why.

You see. Following the incident during which I gave up my left arm to a Dragon to break up an arranged marriage engagement between Buchou and a douchebag yakitori, Buchou had forced her way into my home. Of course she pretty much mind-raped Makoto-neesan again to accept the arrangements.

I was honored that Buchou would be staying at my house even though she was a High-class Devil.

...and then she started sleeping naked in my bed.

I was shocked the first night she stayed over. I woke up with her hugging my left side and I had an instant nosebleed.

She apparently had this thing about sleeping naked and hugging in her sleep...

THAT was not why I had trouble getting to sleep. It. Was. AWESOME!

The real reason I couldn't get any sleep...

Well, you see...when I was little, I had this adorable stuffed puppy toy (NOT A GODDAMN WORD!) that I would always hold close to me when I went to bed. I held it like a security blanket and just couldn't get to sleep without it (I swear I will punch anyone who says a single word). But then one day, Makoto lost him. SHE LOST MR. NOODLE! WHY, MAKO-NEE!? WHYYYYY!?...

...Ahem. Anyway, so I just couldn't get to sleep after Makoto lost Mr. Noodle. I just spent all night either staring at the ceiling or crying after my lost stuffed friend.

I guess Makoto eventually got sick of it because for the next few years until I turned ten, SHE became my Mr. Noodle. So every night since then, I would just fall asleep just clinging to Mako-nee until I woke up. She always seemed so embarrassed about it for somer reason...If any of you say 'Aww~' or some BS like that, I will beat you into a coma! I swear to Maou-sama!

Anyway. The point of this story is that I kind of developed a certain habit.

I'm a sleep hugger. If there is anything laying next to me in my bed, my body will move on its own and just cling to it.

The 'it' in this case being Buchou...

I've been able to avoid this urge for a while, but having Buchou sleeping next to me every night since she came, the habit had wormed its way back to the surface...

And that's how I woke up in the middle of the night with my entire body (I WAS WEARING SLEEPY-TIME CLOTHES! Relax you perverts!) wrapped around Buchou's, my face nuzzled between her glorious breasts.

Then Buchou said rather erotic-sounding things and then Asia showed up and then Asia ended up naked and then my hormones wouldn't let me go to sleeeeeep!

It was horrible yet awesome at the same time! I couldn't go to sleep or touch either girl because I respected both too much but...I did end up squeezed between the oppai of two beautiful girls in my sleep.

So I guess life is somewhat good right now.

Then I reached the main gates.

"YOU PIIIIIIIIIG!" I was too startled to react as a flying foot flew and smashed into my face, knocking me backwards flat on my ass.

I rubbed my aching face, growling from my pain. "What the Hell?!"

I looked up to see a girl about my age. She had dark-brown hair tied back in a pony tail with two long bangs on either side of her face and light-brown eyes.

Her name was Murayama...something or other...I only recognized her because she was the best friend of Katase...

Oh shit.

Murayama glared down at me. "You kiss my best friend and then you ditch her for almost two weeks?! What the Hell is wrong with you, you pig!?"

I resisted the urge to smack myself. I vaguely remembered before that job from that Sengoku nut that I had to do...something...to keep Katase Ishihara from seeing Suu inside the nurse's office.

How did I forget about that?!

Everyone's gazes started turning towards me and Murayama.

"What did she say?"

"Shirou-sama k-k-kissed someone?!"

"No way no way!"

"It has to be some kind of bad dream or something!"

"Why, Shirou-sama!?"

I raised my hands in defense. "Alright alright! Th-there's a good explanation for this! I-I-"

Shit! How do I explain that I'd spent the last two weeks training in the mountains and then avoiding all of my school friends so I could take part in a supernatural Devil sport to break up the engagement of my Devil master, who had brought me back from the dead as a Devil, and this douchebag yakitori? HOW DO I EXPLAIN THAT?!

"It was a club trip." Both Murayama and I turned to Sakura who had somehow appeared suddenly by my side. I jumped a little, but calmed quickly afterwards. Sakura smiled sweetly. "Shirou-sama went with all of us to the mountains to investigate paranormal rumors and crazy stuff that seemed to be going on there."

With Sakura's sweet and innocent tone, you never would've suspected she was lying.

Murayama looked at Sakura and then narrowed her eyes at me. "Fine, but if I found out again that you tried to force yourself on Katase or that you hurt her, I. Will. Kick. Your. Ass." She jabbed me in the forehead with a bokken she seemed to draw out of nowhere.

And suddenly Murayama seemed much hotter than she did before.

She then stomped away, leaving the world around me silent. I then realized that the reason for that was because many of the girls around me were crying excluding Sakura who was staring at me, a cold look in her eyes.

I stared. "Are you alright, Sakura?"

Sakura blinked, snapping out of whatever trance she had been in. She smiled at me. "O-Oh! It's nothing, Shirou-sama!"

"Auuuu! WHY, SHIROU-SAMAAAA!?"

"NO FAIR!"

I sweatdrop. "Sakura, how about we get the Hell out of here first? Cos this is starting to get-" I was starting to get up when I heard an excited shriek.

"SHIIIIIRROOOOOOU!" Then a large shape slammed into my chest, once again knocking me flat on my ass.

"Ow..." I then looked down at the head of the figure who had their arms wrapped around my chest. Her hair was pink and her face was nuzzling against my stomach.

Katase pulled away, sitting on my legs, smiling as she wrapped her arms around my neck.

"I'm sorry, honeybunch! I was just too excited to keep away!" I felt my face heat up incredibly quickly as the pink-haired girl spoke to me in such a way.

"Kissen, Latase-no!" I bit my tongue. "Lips-No-Smoo-GAH!"

"Awww~!" Katase interrupted my attempt to explain my mistake. She hugged me even more tightly, pressing her breasts against my own chest, causing me to blush. "You're so sweet when you're tongue-tied, Shirou-chan!"

"Well, I-"

Katase blushed as she looked into my eyes. "I admit...I've really liked you for a long time, Shirou. I...I was so happy when you confessed your own feelings..."

I felt an arrow pierce my heart. SHIT! WHY DID YOU HAVE TO SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT?!

RING RING

Both of us tensed as the first bell started to ring.

"Oh!" Katase quickly stood up, pulling me to my feet. "I have to get to class now, but meet up with me after Kendo practice today, OK?" Before I could respond, Katase pressed her lips against mine for a brief second...then two...then a minute...then four minutes...and then she pulled a way, her face red. "See you later, _boyfriend!_" Then Katase ran off towards the school building, leaving me feeling like the conversation was horribly one-sided.

I halfheartedly reached after her, an aura of crushing darkness bearing down on me.

"Sakura...How deep in it am I?"

"I don't know. Why don't you just ask your _girlfriend_?" Sakura replied in an oddly hostile tone. I stared in surprise at her sudden hostility. She seemed to realize it as well because she quickly replaced her look with her previous smile. "Oh...I mean...hehehe~!" Then she ran away towards the school building, leaving me lost.

Having nothing better to do, I followed after.

I had the feeling this day was going to get more and more annoying.

* * *

All during class, I kept my face flat against my desk, feeling annoyed with everyone's stares being glued to me.

Apparently the rumor of me 'being Katase's boyfriend' had quickly spread all throughout the school. Everyone was either glaring at me, crying when I walked by, or just ignoring me.

Even Asia!

When I tried talking to her about what I should do, the golden-hearted girl she was, she shot me a sharp look and started ignoring me. Sometimes she looked at me with teary eyes, as if asking "WHYYYY!?"

That only made me feel ten times worse. And of course Kiryuu was on Asia's side since the two had become the best of friends. Yuuma just didn't bother, not wanting to get involved.

And so I was so horribly alone until the final bell finally rang for the day.

Wanting to clear up this whole misunderstanding, I waited after school for the Kendo practice to officially end and walked towards the kendo training area.

The moment I walked into the door, there was the sound of loud screams.

"IT'S SHIROU-SAMAAAA!"

"WE LOVE YOU!"

There were a bunch of girls dressed in kendo uniforms that somewhat hugged their bodies. The girls with more to show held their arms crossed under their chests, leading me to the conclusion they weren't wearing bras. My face pinked a little at that embarrassing thought.

I scratched my head, feeling awkward. "Erm...I'm looking for Katase. She told me to meet her here."

And suddenly the atmosphere got much colder.

"There you are, darling~!" I was once again glomped from the front by a certain girl with pink hair. Katase smiled at me, standing on her toes to give me a quick peck on the cheek.

I paled a little at the large amount of killing intent coming from the other girls, directed at me and Katase.

It was hot yet terrifying...I think I have a thing for scary girls.

I laughed awkwardly, turning to Katase. "Sooo...why did you need me here?" Katase smiled, ignorant of every last bit of killing intent directed towards us.

"Well I just wanted your help setting a time for our date~!"

"Date?" I stared in confusion.

Katase pouted. "Of course! You've been gone for almost two weeks and we haven't done anything to further our relationship! Sooo we should go on a date, right?"

I opened my mouth to explain the truth of the situation, but then I looked behind Katase.

Murayama had a blank expression on her face, but she was cracking her knuckles.

I swallowed, doing my best to force a smile. "O-Of course."

And somehow I got sucked into a date with a girl who I got into a misunderstanding with and who believes I'm her boyfriend...It's settled then.

BUCHOOOOOOU!

* * *

**[Occult Research Club Clubroom]**

I opened the door with a loud slam and ran inside. "Buchou, I need help!" I blinked. "Eh?"

Everyone was present, doing a variety of things. Kiba was absent, no doubt on a job.

The thing that confused me was that there seemed to be an overall air of hostility.

It was directed at ME.

Kalawarner sometimes looked up from her book to shoot me a dirty look. Mittelt was reading a manga, her eyes darting towards me. Asia looked like she was trying not to look at me, but still seemed upset. Sakura was openly showing her hostility by staring at me with a horribly cold expression. Yuuma, I think, was just avoiding me like she usually tended to. Even Koneko-chan, eating her sweets, was giving me an uncertain glare...like she was debating whether or not she was angry or perhaps why.

Akeno-san was smiling as usual, for some reason just seeming like she would sit on the sidelines.

Buchou was outright glaring at me, a slightly humiliated and unhappy look on her face.

I blinked. "OK, what did I do?" Buchou crossed her arms across her chest. No answer. "Oh dear Maou...i-is this because I...er...kind of...nuzzled your breasts?" There was a large spit-take around the room from everyone except Asia who had been there that morning.

Fuck! They didn't know about that!

Buchou shook her head, still seeming upset. "No." That single word sounded so much harsher coming from her.

I groaned. "Look, whatever it is, I'm sorry! But I really need your help right now!

Buchou turned away.

"Why don't you ask your girlfriend for help?" Kalawarner asked in an equally harsh tone as Buchou's.

I choked a little on my words due to frustration. "My 'girlfriend' is the PROBLEM! The problem being that she is NOT MY GIRLFRIEND!"

Then the atmosphere froze.

"Oh." There was a slightly embarrassed look on most of the girls' faces, especially Kalawarner who asked the question. "What?" Kalawarner was surprised.

"She's not my girlfriend." I repeated much more calmly. "This is a big misunderstanding that I need help fixing."

Buchou seemed instantly pacified, seeming much happier than she was before, returning to normal.

"Ah." Buchou said calmly, almost sounding relieved. "So what exactly is the problem, Shirou? I figured you would be excited to have a pretty girl as your girlfriend."

I shook my head. "I'm sure I've said this before, but I'm a firm believer in true love, not shallow affection."

The atmosphere around Buchou lightened even further and Asia seemed more calm, even smiling to herself.

Auuuu! Could it be she's forgiven me for earlier?!

I quickly returned to the task at hand. "Point is: I need help trying to figure out how to fix the misunderstanding."

Kalawarner stared at me. "Have you considered simply breaking up with her?"

"Are you nuts?!" I asked exasperatedly. "If I do that, then she'll spread rumors about how I assaulted her or made her bear my children or something!...And it won't be entirely lies because it's true! I had to kiss her so she wouldn't see Suu!"

The atmosphere froze again.

"I feel disgusting for doing such a thing, but it meant nothing and it was necessary to keep Suu hidden." I continued.

The atmosphere unfroze...again.

"And the problem is now she thinks I'm in love with her." I explained. "I don't hate her, and that's why I need to find out a way to explain the situation without earning her absolute hatred as well as a beating from her admittedly scary friend."

"Is she really tough enough to beat you?" Mittelt asked curiously.

"No. But I think I would feel bad about hitting her back since she's just avenging her friend's feelings." I scratched my head. "How do I get out of this situation?"

"...Why not have her break up with you?" I turned to Koneko-chan and stared, surprised. Koneko-chan blinked, confused by my stares. "What?" I placed my hands on her shoulders.

"Koneko-chan, you are a genius." I said honestly.

Koneko-chan looked off to the side. "...You still owe me sweets."

Oh yeah. I've repaid my debt for her help during the Raynare Incident, but I promised shortly before Koneko-chan retired that I would make her some sweets.

I nodded. I couldn't make her sweets if I was stuck with Katase by my side all the time or if I was beaten up by a human girl (cos I can't hit her back in good conscience) and couldn't show my face anywhere again.

"So will you please help me?!" I got on my knees, begging before Buchou.

Buchou closed her eyes, considering. Then her eyes opened and she smiled. "Of course."

"Well, if we have to help a friend then it can't be helped even if it means crushing another girl's heart." Kalawarner said a little _too_ cheerfully.

I blushed at her beautiful smile and nodded. "Thank you, Buchou. Everyone."

And so we started to plan operation...erm...

Operation: Break-Up! Hey. You gotta better name? Then shut it!

* * *

**Operation: Break-Up Initiated**

I sighed. I was dressed in a dark-blue jacket over a nice dress shirt with a clip-on tie, also wearing black pants. I was currently waiting at the public park.

I checked my phone, checking the time and any messages I may have gotten.

The first part of our plan was for me to ask out my 'girlfriend' on a date.

"Heeeeeey, sugar beeeaaaar~!" Katase was wearing a cute button-up shirt and a black skirt along with boots. She ran towards me, waving her hand.

I waved weakly back to her, forcing another smile. "Hey..." I wasn't sure what to call her.

So I just continued waving.

Katase caught up to me and smiled. "I'm happy we can go out together like this."

My smile became even more forced. "Rrrriiiiight." I scratched my head. "So how about we go see a movie?"

"Sure!" Katase said excitedly. "What are we going to see?"

I laughed a little. "Well I was hoping to just go see what's out. Maybe decide what I want to watch when I get there."

I specifically said 'I' as instructed by Buchou.

I had to make Katase think there was no unity between us. That we were two different people.

Katase's smile faded a little, but she nodded. "OK. I don't have much taste in movies anyway, so maybe I should leave the selection choice to you."

OK. So far, so good.

On to Plan A of Operation: Break-Up!

* * *

**Plan A: Be A Jerk!**

We stood at the ticket booth at the movie theatre, me placing money on the table in exchange for tickets.

I didn't let Katase see the tickets, pointing her in the opposite direction when she asked if there was a bathroom around.

When she came ranning back, she was panting for breath. "There...wasn't...a bathroom...there..."

I shrugged. "Whoops. Guess I was mistaken. Anyway, here's your ticket." I handed her one of the two tickets and grinned to myself when she saw the title on the ticket.

She started trembling a little when she saw the title.

_The Massacre of Little Tokyo_.

A famous horror film that's come out a while ago. It's quite petrifying from what I've heard.

Katase swallowed. "C-Can't w-we see something e-else? I-I mean. A-Aren't there other movies to see?"

I shook my head. "Nope. I wanted to see this movie so I picked this. If you don't like it, then you're free to leave at any time."

Katase seemed uncertain for a moment before her smile returned.

What?!

"Oh! Is it okay if I hold onto you when it gets to the scary parts~?" She assumed I was one of those idiots who takes a hot girl to a scary movie just to frighten them into hanging onto them.

"No." I said flat out.

Katase pouted adorably. "Awwww~! Come on~! Pleeeeaaaase, cookie bear~?" She latched onto my arm, looking up at me.

I was about to say 'no' when I felt an odd burst of killing intent. It was powerful and overwhelming. Not to mention familiar.

I scanned my surroundings, trying to find the source until my eyes noticed the corner of the movie theater behind which hid my crimson-haired Buchou, Kalawarner, Mittelt, Sakura, and Asia. All four of them emitted a powerful killing intent towards Katase.

Wow. They really want to help me, don't they? They are good people.

I pulled my arm away from Katase and just started walking away.

We walked into the theater, me refusing to purchase any kind of snacks for Katase.

She didn't complain one when I shut the door behind me.

I had do give her props for sticking around this long without so much as a single complaint.

And so we entered the movie.

* * *

**Plan B: Show A Cowardly Side**

I sighed, dejected as I waited in outside a close-by fast-food restaurant.

"So Plan A didn't work. What now, Buchou?" Buchou was hiding behind the corner next to me wearing a trench coat, bowler hat, and sun-glasses like some kind of OBVIOUSLY SUSPICIOUS person.

Buchou lowered her glasses and turned her eyes towards me. "We stick to the plan."

You see, all during the movie, I did my best to avoid Katase's attempts to wrap her arms around me, but she was a persistent woman. Eventually she must've realized something and got out of her seat...and then she walked over and sat in my lap, laying her head against my chest all throughout the movie.

How she came to the conclusion that that was what I was trying to get from her, I have no idea.

Point is, now she was more attached to me than ever. So that backfired big time.

"But how am I supposed to play the coward, Buchou?" I asked my poorly disguised crush. "Everyone KNOWS my reputation for being tough."

Buchou smirked. "Well, with the guys I've chosen to 'scare' you, it'd be believable for you to be a coward."

I scratched my head. "Well isn't it a bit risky to use dangerous people? I mean Katase IS human and-"

"They're not really criminal. They're just people whom we've completed contracts with and who owe us one."

Ah. That made sense. But I will admit I didn't think Devils took "IOU's"

"Well-Shit! She's coming! Go go go!" I turned and looked through the window to see Katase coming out of the bathroom in the restroom. Buchou suddenly vanished out of sight.

...wow she's good.

"Oh, Darliiing~!" Katase ran out of the place and latched onto my arm. She smiled, looking up at me.

I forced a smile. "Yesssss...?"

Katase started walking, dragging me with her. "So what should we do next~?"

My eyes darted left and right. "Erm...well, I..."

"STOP RIGHT THERE!"

Both of us stopped as at least a dozen large men in rather intimidating biker outfits leaped out from the alleyway Buchou had disappeared down.

Seriously! How DOES she plan this stuff?!

I was uncertain whether or not these were the guys until a skinnier guy stepped forward, carrying a crowbar.

"Listen up, Fujimura! Give us the girl and you won't get hurt!" I was about to punch him until the guy's grin seemed to become more light-hearted and he winked at me knowingly.

I blinked and nodded silently. I pulled away from Katase's grip and began to cower dramatically.

"Oh no! Please don't hurt me!" I raised my arms above my head, trembling. "You guys are too scary, I'll do whatever you want! Please not the face!"

I resisted the urge to throw-up over how disgusting those words sounded coming out of my mouth.

To put the icing on the cake, I hid behind Katase and pushed her forwards slightly.

"Please save me Katase!"

From what Buchou's read in books and watched on TV, girls tend to swoon when a guy steps up to defend them. So if a guy should do the reverse, the reverse should also happen, as in, the guy asking the girl to defend HIM.

The guy with the crowbar was still grinning as he stepped forward. "Now then-"

"HIYAAH!" Then Katase performed a large jump and swung her leg around, slamming her foot against the crowbar guy's face, knocking him out cold.

My jaw dropped and my eyes widened. "Eh?!"

Katase turned back to me and winked teasingly. "It's okay, sweetie~! I've been preparing ever since last time~! Leave this to me~!"

I was too shocked to wonder what she meant by 'last time'.

The fake biker thugs looked at one another uncertainly.

"Erm..."

"Taaaake THIS!" Katase wasted no time, punching another one in the stomach and then delivering a roundhouse kick to the face.

I COULD describe how the rest of the fight went, but I see no point in that.

Therefore, to sum it up: She ANNIHILATED them.

In no time at all, every last one of the pretend attackers had ended up down on the ground and in pain.

Poor bastards.

All the while, I marveled at the speed Katase took them down.

Damn. Why did she seem hotter all of a sudden?

I was so shocked. I was certain Plan B would've worked for sure! But Katase kicked ass!

Katase remained in some sort of martial arts form until she confirmed that all of the 'bikers' were down.

She then turned back to me and smiled again. "Awwww~! I knew even my beloved Shirou-chan had a soft and fluffy side~!" She then wrapped her arms around me in another hug, me not believing that just happened. I also felt a variety of different killing intents from various locations that I could not see.

I felt my face flush from her statement. "I-I'm not fluffy! I'm a stone cold beast!"

"That's not true!" Katase said in a suddenly forceful tone. Her expression was somewhat sad. "Shirou-chan's not a beast...he's really nice..."

This time my face heated up from the kind words...but she...

What did I do to deserve those words?

Katase quickly shook her head, her previous smile returning. "Anyway, where to next?"

My eyes twitched, my mind still processing what just happened. Katase grabbed my hand and started dragging me forward.

Well...so much for Plan B.

I was really dreading the third and final idea we came up with in case the first two plans failed.

Koneko-chan hit me when I came up with idea mostly because I was right next to her.

Plan C...

* * *

**Plan C:...Act Like A Disgusting Pervert...**

I groaned as Katase and I passed by the park we had started our little 'date' on.

...Why did I have to blurt that idea out loud? WHY!? More importantly, why are most of the girls so eager for me to break up this 'relationship'?

Anyway...it was now or never...

Katase walked a few feet in front of me. I sighed.

I really didn't want to do what I was about to do, but it was my only choice left...

I swallowed. My hand trembled a little as I slowly reached forward.

"_Do it, Shirou!"_Mini-Devil Shirou urged from my shoulder. _"Come on! This is your chance! Use your perverse powers on this innocent woman~!"_

For once, I had no right to flick him off my shoulder.

Before I could reconsider my decision, I leaped forward, sticking my hand out and-

GROPE GROPE

"EEEEEK!" Katase squealed as my hand copped a feel on her bottom. She turned back to look at my red face, her own cheeks red with embarrassment. "W-What are you doing?!"

I almost felt like killing myself. I was disgusting. It was worse because I actually kind of liked it...

Did I mention I was an ass-man?

I did my best to pull off a perverted expression, just well enough to fool Katase. "This is the part I've been waiting for all day." I feel nothing but self-loathing.

I'm sure I've said this before, but I'm not one to touch a woman without permission! Doing such a thing to a girl who wanted to be my girlfriend only made the deed so much worse!

I gave Katase's ass a good squeeze, eliciting another squeak. She stared at me with big sad eyes. "I-Is my body really all you want, Shirou...?"

Oh that tone...it makes me want to die so badly...

I did my best to grin. "Yeah.. Your body's the best thing about you. I've been wanting to...to take it all day." Dammit, Koneko-chan! Why didn't you knock me out when I joked about this idea earlier?!

"OK."

I smirked. "Oh OK. Then I guess you want to break up with m-" Then my face froze as I processed what she said. "Whaaaaaaaaaaat?!"

Katase turned around to face me, her face red. She grabbed my hand and firmly placed it on her left bosom. I my face flushed red. "Y-You can h-have my body if you want...Shirou..."

I blinked. "WHAAAAAAT?!"

"I...I want you to...if you want to...you can ravage my body..." I couldn't tell if she meant 'ravage' or 'ravish'...I haven't heard too many girls use those words so I'm a little fuzzy on their meanings.

Katase stared at me...

Wait...her eyes...

While she was saying she wanted me to use her body...her eyes seemed so sad. It was faint, but she was also shaking.

I couldn't do this anymore. I pulled my hand away from Katase's breast and stepped back.

Katase swallowed. "Oh right...I should probably..." She reached for the buttons on her shirt and undid the first one before I grabbed her hands.

"No wait! Stop!" Katase stared at me in confusion.

"D-Did I do something wrong?"

I shook my head quickly. "No! Nonononononono! Nothing like that!" I quickly said. "It's just that...well...Look! There's something I have to confess!" I couldn't take this anymore! The guilt was eating me alive and Katase looked like one of those cheated-on women who for some reason didn't want their husbands/boyfriends, whom they are still in love with, to leave them.

I'M NOT ONE OF THOSE 'CHEAT-ON-YOU' BOYFRIENDS!...Wait. I'M NOT A BOYFRIEND AT ALL!

"YOU CHEATING BASTARD!" What?

I was about to turn to face the girl who shouted that slanderous remark when I felt something that felt suspiciously like a hand smack me across the face.

I was knocked flat on my ass, wondering what the Hell just happened. "Huh?" I was more surprised when I saw the face of the girl who slapped me. "M-Murayama?!"

The brown-haired girl glared down at me. I darted my eyes side-to-side, wondering what the Hell I did.

Then my eyes widened with realization.

SHIT! Did she figure out I came here to trick Katase into hating me enough to break up with me!

Murayama then did something surprising: She winked. It wasn't a flirtatious wink, but rather a "I'm in on the secret" wink.

Wait...is she...is she IN on this!?

"M-Murayama?!" Katase said in surprise. "W-What do you mean about Shirou cheating?!"

Murayama turned to her best friend. "This jerk right here has been two-timing us! He and I have been dating for five months!" I shook my head.

Reeeeeel it back a little. I'm sure that if I had been dating someone for five months, everyone in school would've found out about it by now.

I did my best to chuckle. "Yes. It's true. I did indeed cheat on both of you. I'm too much man for just one girl. And it's not like I was that bad. I took care of both of my girls." I said everything that only an absolute dick would say when he had been caught in a lie after cheating on two girls at once. It was scary how easily I pulled off the right tone of voice.

"I see..." Katase said, turning her gaze to the ground. Then she looked up at me with a determined look on her face. "Then I will share Shirou-chan!"

Both Murayama and I just stared at Katase in shock and confusion. ""EH!?""

Katase's eyes were beginning to fill with tears. "I love Shirou enough to bear with him needing another woman on the side!"

GAAAH! Please, somebody kill me noooow! I feel so baaaaad!

"Aw screw it, he's dying out there." I heard a voice whispered.

"There you are, lover." I heard Kalawarner's voice whisper seductively in my ear. My face reddened even more as I turned back to face her. "I've been waiting sooooo long. I'm still sooo sore from last night!"

Katase stared at me, shock and hurt in her eyes. "Shirou, what does this wo-Wait! Nurse Kalawarner!?" Katase just seemed to recognize Kalawarner from school.

Kalawarner stuck out her tongue slightly as she wrapped her arms around me. "Guuuiltyyy~!"

This was spiraling out of control real fast.

"T-Two?!" Katase asked in sorrow and shock.

Ah screw it!

"NO! No no no no NO NO NO NO!" I said, interrupting all of the madness that was about to ensue. "Screw it! I'm just gonna tell the truth!" I turned to my pink-haired not-girlfriend. "You see, Katase-"

"Shirou-san, I am another concubine and-" Asia suddenly stumbled out of the bushes, carrying what appeared to be flashcards with her. She read them attentively. "...Um...I...I feel like..." Whatever was written on those flashcards was embarrassing enough that her face turned red and emitted steam. I guessed that it was either Buchou or Kalawarner who wrote those for Asia.

"Asia, that's enough." I said with a sigh. "I'm telling the truth now."

"Oh." Asia said with a powerful sense of relief washing over her. I couldn't help but wonder what was written on those cards. "C-Continue then."

I nodded, turning back to Katase. "OK, Katase. You have to listen now because I'm about to tell the truth."

Katase seemed sad, hurt, and horribly confused. "Shirou..." She looked around at all of the other girls gathered around me. "...what is going on?"

I sighed. "OK. First off, everything up to this point has been an absolute LIE." I turned to Murayama and sighed again. "Sorry, but I don't care if it hurts Katase because not saying it will try me insane!" I turned back to Katase. "OK...that day in front of the nurse's office...when I kissed you. That was a mistake. The truth is that I panicked because I was trying to hide something in the nurse's office that nobody could know about."

Katase covered her mouth, gasping. "Oh dear God, you just got done sleeping with Nurse Kalawarner, didn't you!?"

Kalawarner seemed to smile, blushing lightly at the thought.

I shook my head, waving my hands rapidly. "No no no no no! Geez, get your mind out of the gutter!" I turned to Murayama. "Is that really what everyone thinks I do in there?!" Murayama shrugged. "Anyway, so the truth is that I was hiding something, but I never meant to confess to you...cos I don't return your feelings." I hesitated on the next part. "And...this whole date was an attempt to get you to hate me enough to 'break up with me'...you are a resilient woman. I will give you that." I gestured to Kalawarner, Asia and Murayama. "Kalawarner and Asia are members of the Occult Research Club who agreed to help me with this mess. Murayama..." I trailed off, not quite knowing how the brown-haired girl got involved.

"Rias-oneesama explained the situation to me and asked for my help. Thought that me saying that you were cheating on Katase with me would make things move along more quickly."

"OK."

Everyone else blinked simultaneously. ""'OK'?""

Katase nodded. "I understand..." Her eyes were somewhat wet, but she didn't cry. "I was fine...I was glad to spend time with Shirou-sama. I mean...Just to be able to be near you was nice. So..."

I felt my face heating up again. W-Was this a confession?

I scratched my head awkwardly. "Listen...for what it's worth...You're a good person. If you can put up with me being a jerk all day, you have the tolerance of Buddha."

Murayama patted Katase on the shoulder comfortingly.

"And you have a good friend..." Katase nodded, smiling slightly at her friend.

I felt the situation descend into awkwardness again. "So...are we cool?"

Katase nodded quickly, blushing as she realized everything that had happened a few minutes ago involving my hand and her buttox and oppai. "S-Shirou-sama...P-please don't tell anyone...Please don't tell anyone about what I said!" She shook her head. "I-I don't want anyone thinking I'm-"

"Relax." I said calmly. "I had every intention of never mentioning this again once it was over. Sooo..." I realized we had nothing to end the conversation on. "So..."

Kalawarner sighed beside me, grabbing my arm. "Oh for the love of-Just walk away." She started dragging me away, Asia following closely behind me, me waving goodbye to Katase...

Thank GOD this is ov-OW! SONNUVA BITCH THAT HURTS!

* * *

**Katase's POV...**

I resisted the urge to cry. I...I finally got a chance with Shirou-sama and I...I...

Dammit...Why didn't I just say the words!? 'I LOVE YOU'! They're THREE WORDS!

"Katase...are you alright?" I turned to my best friend in the whole wide world. Murayama was always there for me when I was unhappy...but she had been oddly distant ever since I told her Shirou-sama kissed me...I was glad to see she wasn't mad at me for whatever it was anymore.

But...Shirou-sama was still nice to me. He'd rather have me hate him than break my heart. That's why I love him so much...

He's been so nice since that day...

I shook my head. It hurt too much to remember the day I fell in love with him.

"I'm fine." I lied. My heart hurt so badly. "I just..."

Murayama hugged me. "It's okay. There'll be other guys..."

"None that I'll ever love more than Shirou-sama!" I snapped at her. I felt bad about it, but I didn't like how she was making my pain seem so little. "I...You'll never understand how I feel about him..."

I noticed Murayama flinch a little, but she didn't say anything.

I shook my head. "I'm sorry..."

My friend shook her head. "No. It's fine. I...I'm just sorry it wasn't meant to be..."

"A little sad how easily you've given up." A voice interrupted our conversation. I turned and saw a girl with long, violet hair and...admittedly larger breasts than me standing before us.

I gave her a confused stare. "Oh...you're Sakura-san, right? Shirou's cousin?"

Sakura-san stared at us with a strange expression, much different than that shy look she usually wore. It was smoother and more in control.

"Yes and no." Sakura asked in a much smoother and slightly more mature tone to match her expression. "I am Sakura, but I am not Shirou's cousin. I am his servant and future lover. Shirou-sama is my eternal master."

My jaw dropped, my face turning a deep red color as did Murayama's.

""F-Future lover?!"" And what's all this 'master and servant' stuff about?! I-Is Shirou-sama a-

Sakura-san nodded. "Yes." Then a strange look appeared on her face. Like the sparkling eyes an excited stalker or otaku would have. "I am also the president of the Shirou-sama 4Ever Fanclub!"

I stared. "S-Shirou-sama has a fanclub?!"

Sakura nodded, smiling. "Of course. The Kuoh Chapter alone has already amassed over 179 members...21 of them being bisexual boys who are into badboys."

"J-Just how large is this fanclub?" Murayama asked, equally surprised.

Sakura-san's eyes sparkled. "That's not the point here." Her expression became serious. "How shallow is your love that you'd give up on Master after one day?"

I glared at Sakura. "Don't you DARE question my love for Shirou-sama, you bitch!"

Sakura's gaze remained calm despite the fact I was glaring at her. "Then give me a reason to believe it. Give me the reason why you fell in love with Master. A reason to believe your love is not as shallow as most other girls. A reason I shouldn't think of you like those other bitches who think they are worthy of Master yet did nothing when HE WAS ALONE AND IN PAIN!"

The sudden burning hostility from Sakura took my by surprise, mor so because it vanished just as quickly.

I lowered my head in shame. "I know...I know I'm horrible...I saw Shirou-sama's loneliness...but I didn't do anything about it..." I bit my lower lip. She was questioning my love for Shirou...but... "Fine...I'll tell you how I came to fall in love with Shirou-sama...why I want his love so badly."

And so I took several deep breaths, comforted by Murayama who wore a strange expression on her face...

So I started speaking.

It had been last year. When I was a first year at Kuoh Academy.

I had been walking back home from school on a rainy day. I had been staying late to complete a school project I had been working on for a while. I had to get home before I got too drenched so I took a route I didn't normally take.

That was a bad idea.

I took a shortcut down an alleyway and ended up being stopped by this guy with a rather thuggish face.

He asked me if he could escort me home. Of course I didn't trust the guy, so I told him no.

Then several other guys just appeared out of nowhere, urging me more and more to take their offer and their 'price' was cheap.

I started feeling sick so I tried running, but one of them tripped me and knocked me to the ground.

I tried to get up, but I think I sprained my ankle. My leg was also scratched up real bad by a bunch of shards of broken glass that was on the ground so it hurt a lot.

One of the guys pinned me to the ground and started tearing up my clothing, telling me how he was 'going to make me feel good'. I screamed, but nobody could hear me over the downpour that had arrived. I screamed and screamed until the guy pinning me down clamped his disgusting hand over my mouth.

He just kept tearing away my clothing and when I saw him getting ready to do something-

BLAM!

A foot smashed right into his face, knocking the bastard off of me.

I was shocked to see my savior. I initially thought he was one of the thugs who wanted 'first dibs', but then I realized he was wearing the same student uniform of my school.

Then I recognized him: [The Demon King of Kuoh]. Shirou Fujimura.

I was scared at first, but then I realized all of the hatred on his face was directed towards my attackers.

He kicked the guy who had attacked me first back to his cohorts. I closed my eyes for the rest because it was really scary. I just remembered the other guys screaming in pain while Shirou beat the shit out of them.

When I opened my eyes again, Shirou was somewhat bruised, but not worse for wear.

I got scared again when he turned to me, but then I noticed a strange look in his eyes when he saw my look of fear: Sadness.

He was sad because I was afraid of him.

Then he asked me if I was alright.

Too shocked to say anything else, I said yes. When I tried to stand on my own, I stumbled, but then I was caught by Shirou.

He saved me...then I looked into his eyes. They were filled with worried despite the fact his expression remained neutral or just delinquentish. He looked at my leg and did something surprising. He gave me his jacket, allowing me to cover my exposed chest. He picked me up and started carrying me on his back.

I didn't question him or anything. I just clung to his back, freezing due to how drenched I was.

When we arrived at a house, he told me it was his and took me inside.

I was afraid for a moment...but then Shirou's face got punched in by his Onee-sama.

I was shocked at first, but apparently it was a common thing because the two only started bickering as if someone had stolen the last slice of pizza or something rather than about someone getting punched in the face.

Shirou's Onee-sama calmed down after seeing me, understanding what Shirou did.

Then she came out with a First Aid kit.

I was still in mild surprise when Shirou started bandaging my cuts and bruises.

Despite all the rumors about him, he was actually quite gentle...a kind person turned into a beast by the people who hated and abandoned him.

Despite all that, he was nice...

It was when I realized that fact that I fell in love with him. That I fell in love with my knight in shining armor. I swore my body to him and him only to do with it whatever he wished.

I loved him. Since that day, I've practiced basic martial arts so I could become strong like him, maybe becoming worthy of his love someday...

Sakura stared at me for several minutes after I completed my story. Then she gave a content nod, smiling a little. "I see." Was all she said. Then she turned to Murayama...Huh? "And what is your reason?"

Murayama blushed at what Sakura was implying. "W-What?! I-I'm not in love with Shirou-sama! I...I..." But then her expression became so sad. Sakura shook her head.

I stared at my best friend in shock. "Murayama...are...are you in love with Shirou-sama?"

Murayama didn't say anything, but she looked at me with sad and ashamed eyes.

Then I gasped, covering my mouth with my hands.

That's why she was so unhappy when she found out Shirou-sama kissed me!

I'd understand if she was one of Shirou-sama's fangirls who liked him just a bit...but I could tell, just by looking in my best friend's eyes, that she was in love with him too.

"Why didn't you ever say anything?" I asked, unsure why Murayama would hide something like that when I was trying to offer my body to our shared love interest.

Murayama looked guilty. "...because...you had a better reason to love him and...and when I saw you had the chance, I didn't want to take it away until I learned from Rias-oneesama about Shirou-sama's plan to try and break up with you without hurting you." She turned back to Sakura. "You want to know the reason I fell in love with Shirou? Well here it is..."

And then Murayama went silent for a moment. Then she recited her own story.

It turned out she had fallen in love with Shirou-sama much earlier than me.

It was during their third year of middle school. Shirou-sama and Murayama were in the same class and she had always had a slight crush on him because he was cute.

Now she wasn't as confident as she was now. Back then, Murayama was what she described as a "porker", but I'd seen her middle school photo and she wasn't that bad. She was slightly more puffy and her bust was slightly smaller back then, but she wasn't necessarily unattractive.

Now, Shirou-sama was apparently an ignorant idiot back then (as Murayama put it). She was on somewhat neutral terms with him, but she did quite a few things to make her affections known that Shirou-sama didn't seem to understand. She hid secret letters in his locker, she often loaned him notes for class, and she even shot a few sweet glances at him.

Shirou-sama's fangirls had started noticing her obvious affection for Shirou-sama and started to pick on her more because of her weight.

But Murayama perservered. She was in love with Shirou-sama.

One day she decided to make a bento for him, wanting to outright confess her feelings.

She ended up arriving to school late because she spent so much time preparing it.

She arrived at school during a break period during the day and looked for shirou-sama outside.

She ended up being cornered by three of her main middle school tormentors.

When they saw what she was carrying, they laughed at her, taking her bento and smashing it onto the ground.

Murayama started crying when they did that. They called her unworthy of Shirou-sama. Murayama wasn't as courageous as she was now. She just started crying, having no confidence to fight back.

Murayama proclaimed her love for Shirou-sama, but one of the girls, the worst of the bunch, attempted to slap her...

Until a kinder hand grabbed the girl's arm.

Shirou-sama's white hair would forever be in Murayama's memory.

Shirou-sama stepped up to defend Murayama. And when the other girls called Murayama a pig again, Shirou-sama smashed his fist right into her face, knocking her out cold.

It was one of the most shocking things Murayama had ever seen.

When everyone showed shock at Shirou-sama so easily hitting a girl, he replied that it was easy since he imagined her as a man.

Even after all of that, Shirou-sama picked up Murayama's crushed bento...and he ate what was left of that.

It was all smushed and messy, but Shirou ate it anyway. He even said it was delicious.

He also said that love, no matter who it's for or who's giving it, isn't stupid. He said just don't let it get twisted.

And then Shirou-sama would forever since then be the boy who Murayama fell in love with.

When Katase was done, I stared at her, tears in my eyes. "I'm so sorry, Murayama!" I wrapped my arms around my friend. Murayama tensed. "You loved him, too, but you didn't pursue him just because of me! I'm so sorryyyyy! You were hurting so much and I didn't notice!"

Murayama also started crying. "I'm sorry too! I'm sorry for being so jealous and angry about Shirou kissing you!"

We both cried together, having felt closer after hearing why we share the same love.

"Alright then." We both turned towards Sakura as she gave us an amused smile. "How would you two like to become the Co-Vice Presidents of the Shirou-sama's fanclub?"

I narrowed my eyes. "What are the benefits?"

Sakura smiled. "Being Co-VP's makes you best friends with me and gives you unlimited access to interactions with Master..." I made a little 'aaaand?' expression. "...and once per month, you shall both be paid with an article of his clothing to think of him while you're mastur-"

I held up my hand to silence Sakura. "...I'm in."

"Me too." Murayama agreed.

Sakura then grabbed both of our hands, still smiling. "Then welcome to the Alliance of Master's Future Lovers! That is what the position of VP means!"

Both Murayama and I stared.

"...WHAAAAAAAAAAAAT!?"

* * *

**Shirou's POV...Later...[Occult Research Club room]**

I sneezed. It felt like somebody was talking about me.

"That's quite a story, Shirou." Kiba noted as several of us sat in the clubroom, relieved the whole affair was over.

I sighed. "Yeah. I'm just glad the whole mess is over." I said, relieved. "I spoke to Katase about it an hour ago and she said she'll help spread the word that it was a misunderstanding without the part where I technically forced myself on her. We'll just say I tripped."

Buchou sipped on her tea. "Well. I suppose it all worked out in the end." She and most of the other girls had been smiling non-stop ever since the matter was resolved.

Was it that big of a deal?

"Queston." Kiba interrupted. "Wouldn't it have been easier just to carefully explain the situation from the beginning? I mean it's what you did in the end and it sounds far less complicated then what you did so..."

.

.

.

"Shut up, Kiba."

****I'm done. This trainwreck of an attempt to tie up a loose end is over~! And next chapter I return to the main plot...Hooray~! I hope that you guys enjoyed this!****

****Also, in case you missed the Sacred Gear submission format last chapter, here it is again:****

****Name:****

**Appearance (Be descriptive!):**

**Abilities:**

**Balance Breaker:**

**Balance Breaker Appearance (Be descriptive!):**

**Abilities:**

****Thanks for the reads and reviews~!****

****Bye-Bye~!****


	16. Chapter 15: Sports Day Fallout

****And now that that previous loose end had been tied up, it's time to move onto the third story arc! Things will be stirred up big time and the meaning behind the summary will finally be explained~! HAHA! For those of you who haven't figured out a certain plot device by now...it will be revealed by the end of this story arc.****

****Disclaimer: I own nothing except OC's.****

****Chapter 15:****

****Sports Day Fallout****

_Blue._

_That was the color of the flames the devoured everything around me._

_I didn't know where I was or how I got there, but I had somehow ended up all alone in that burning field of blue. It seemed like the whole world was going to be swallowed by these powerful flames. It wasn't because of the abnormal color that I thought this, but the strange power I sensed from the flames._

_It was scary. I was so afraid for reasons I could not understand._

_I was calling out to someone...I couldn't make out what I was screaming...every noise was dulled by the roar of the flire engulfing the room._

_Everything hurt...it hurt so much..._

_I was crying. The flames weren't devouring me like they had my surroundings, but they still burned and stung me._

_I felt so sad and alone..._

"_...a-sama..."_

_My voice was much clearer than it had been a moment before._

"_...ka-sa..." I kept calling out for somebody._

_That was when I noticed it. The lone shape I could make out on the ground before me._

_I resisted the urge to throw up when I saw it. _

_The charred corpse before me...I somehow knew who it was...Her once beautiful face was marred by these unholy flames around us...Her entire form was slowly being devoured by fire..._

"_Oka-sama! OKA-SAMA, wake up, PLEASE!" I cried. "Please wake up!"_

_Why...? Why am I seeing this...? Why is this happening...?..._

_...Oka-sama...Please...please don't leave me...please..._

"_Somebody, please! Oka-sama!"_

_Why am I so helpless...? Why...?_

_...Just let it end...please...it hurts...please...somebody help her..._

_JUST LET IT END! LETITENDLETITEND! PLEASEJUSTLETITEND!_

"_Oka-samaaaaaaa!"_

* * *

"OKA-SAMA!"

It took me a whole minute to realize I wasn't in that home burning in flames, but rather in my bed at my own house, sitting upright with arm outstretched to grab a non-existent shape.

My heart was beating against my rip cage furiously. My whole body felt hot as if I had truly been alight with flames.

That dream...it felt so real...

"Shirou, are you alright?" Buchou asked, sitting upright. I turned and almost had a nosebleed at Buchou's naked form beside me.

E-Everything's showing!

I quickly turned away, blushing a little. Buchou had a worried expression on her face.

I really can't tell what we are...I mean...After the [Rating Game] against Riser, Buchou kissed me on the lips, but...I still had no indication of what we were to one another. I had the stupid idea that we were...well CLOSER than we were before.

But when I finally worked up the courage to at least try to hold her hand one day on the way to school, Buchou had such a surprised and confused expression on her face. So I just let go and got rid of any idea that she had feelings for me. The incident was quickly forgotten afterward.

"Is everything okay, Shirou-san?" Asia sat up, rubbing her eyes tiredly. I almost had a nosebleed just from her sheer adorability!

For the past few days, I've been sleeping next to these girls who laid next to me pretty much naked.

Some nights I would wake up in embarrassing positions, my old 'sleep hugging' habit causing me to curl up around either girl in my sleep. After that, it would be near impossible for me to get back to sleep for the rest of the night.

Damn hormones...

Both girls looked at me with an incredibly worried expression.

Despite the fact that I was still trembling slightly and sweat covered my entire body, I managed a small smile.

"It's nothing. Just a bad dream." I said calmly. Not a lie...just not the full truth.

Ever since I beat Riser and his Peerage, I've started having this strange nightmare.

Every night it was the same except each moment was much clearer than before.

Every night more horrible details became known.

Every night I was screaming.

Every night I was calling out to my mother...

Buchou and Asia told me before that I was sometimes trembling or mumbling in my sleep, sometimes even crying. It had never been so bad that I had woken up screaming though. It just kept getting worse each night.

I shook my head. "It's really fine. Really."

Both were horribly unconvinced of what I said judging from the troubled expressions on their faces.

I considered telling them both about the nightmares several times, but I didn't want to bother them about something that could just end up being nothing. I didn't want to see such sad expressions on their faces. So for now, I would just suck it up. It was just a dream after all...

It took some doing, but I finally managed to convince Buchou and Asia to go back to sleep without further questions asked.

They still seemed somewhat troubled.

I did finally work up the nerve to lay down between them, but I never went back to sleep.

Every time I tried closing my eyes, those haunting images would always be there. The blue flames, the sense of death, the corpse of my mother...

But I kept convincing myself it was a dream. I never saw my mother die.

It all had to be just a dream since I never really saw my mother's face from what Mako-nee told me. I was too small to remember...

Then why is it I called out to her dead body in front of me...?

It was definitely a dream...wasn't it?

* * *

The next day, I was still thinking about my dream even while I was cleaning up after breakfast alongside Mako-nee.

I calmly washed the dishes left over from breakfast.

I felt somewhat ashamed. You see, because of my long and sleepless night, I ended up drifting off somewhere near the morning time from exhaustion. So Buchou ended up cooking breakfast for the five of us (Mako-nee, me, Asia, Sakura, and herself). I was a pathetic excuse of a servant if my beloved master was the one cooking for her servants instead of the other way around.

I had to make up for my mistake by cleaning up everything. Repentance through dish-washing!

"Something wrong, Baka-otouto?" Mako-nee asked, casually drying the wet dishes I handed to her.

Something about Mako-nee, she was very easily able to tell when something was troubling me. It always happened when she went into 'Caring Big Sister' mode. She was always just psychic like that. I could sense her staring at me intently and realized she wasn't going to stop bothering me without an answer.

I sighed, still washing dishes. "Well, it's a long story. To sum it up, following something that happened a few days ago...I've started having these recurring nightmares..."

"Oh?" Mako-nee asked with a slight interest in her voice. "What are they about...?"

I scratched my head, closing my eyes. "Well they're kind of crazy. I'm in this room, surrounded by a powerful demonic blue fire..." I felt the atmosphere around me grow colder somehow. "...and...I think it was when I was little...I was screaming in front of this dead body on the ground, crying..." I swallowed, trying to keep my stomach contents from traveling up my throat. "I could almost smell burning corpse...I kept crying out for someone...Oka-sama..."

"I see." I found a chill traveling down my spine at the strange tone in Onee-sama's voice. It was a mix of alarm and shock.

"But, you know, it's kind of weird. I mean Oka-sama died when I was little, so I wouldn't know what she looked like, right?" I asked almost to myself. "But this nightmare keeps bugging me every night and it's getting harder and harder to sleep...It's ridiculous, right, Mako-"

CRASH

I turned, alert, when I heard the sound of a plate smashing against the ground.

The most shocking thing was the expression on Makoto's face. She was smiling with her eyes wide open.

It was a glass smile though. The kind one would wear when they're trying to hide the fact they were almost caught in a lie. The air between us became ice-cold and tense.

"R-Right. Ridiculous." Mako-nee seemed on edge. I frowned. Something about this seemed-

"Oh, I forgot to mention this to you, Shirou." Buchou's head suddenly peeked into the kitchen, the crimson-haired girl smiling. She was clearly unaware of the conversation she just interrupted. "Today the club members are coming here."

I blinked, confused and distracted from the previous topic. "E-Eh? What for?"

"Yes," Buchou answered. "I'm thinking about having the Occult Research Club meeting here."

"W-Wait a minute! Shouldn't you clear something like that with me or Mako-nee?!" I asked. "I mean, you can't just invite people over without permission!"

Buchou smiled in a deceivingly innocent way. "I know you wouldn't say no, Shirou, so I thought it was alright." She was right. I can't say 'No' to Buchou. "Do you remember what I said before? It's about time to clean the whole old school building. Apparently they asked the cleaners to clean it. So your house made the next best candidate for a meeting place." She then bowed her head. "Sorry if I inconvenienced you, Onee-sama."

Mako-nee flinched before laughing in an awkwardly loud way. "HAHAHA! It's no trouble at all! Oh what's that?! It's really late for something! I have something to do! Gotta go! Be back later!" My sister then ran straight past Buchou and right out the door.

I frowned. That was suspicious...I mean. Mako-nee was NEVER late for ANYTHING! There was no way she would panic like that even if she thought she was. I felt like there was something I was missing somehow.

"Shirou?" I noticed a concerned tone in Buchou's face. "Sorry, did I interrupt something important?"

She sounded sorry, perhaps seeing how tense I was from the conversation between me and Mako-nee.

I shook my head. "No. It's fine, Buchou. I wasn't talking to Mako-nee about anything important." I turned and walked out of the kitchen, right past Buchou. "I'll be back later. I just need to get some air."

But in truth, I was troubled.

These dreams, Mako-nee's reaction to them, and this horrible feeling...

Just what the Hell is going on!?

* * *

I tried seeing if I could find Mako-nee after I left the house (I believe we all knew this was going to happen the moment I said 'I just need to get some air', the most suspicious line in the book), but no such luck.

I looked and looked, but I couldn't find my Onee-sama anywhere.

I only kept searching for an entire hour because I had to know what was with Mako-nee's reaction.

Her cold expression, my nightmares, those blue flames, all the weird things that have been happening...

They all have a connection! I just know it!

I eventually gave up and just returned home-

"And this is a picture of little Shirou when he went to the beach."

I blinked. Onee-sama?!

I ran right into the house and was shocked to see not only Buchou, Sakura, and Asia, but also Kiba, Akeno-san, and the other members of the Occult Research Club (excluding Dohnaseek, but that was no real loss)...

...and photo albums...

My eyes widened and my face turned white with fear.

"My my." I heard Akeno-san say with amusement. "Streaking at that age, Shirou?"

I felt my face suddenly flush as I realized they were examining each and every bit of my childhood. "H-Hey! H-Hold on a s-sec!" I began waving my arms frantically. "I-It's not what you think! I-I mean I-"

"...Didn't know Shirou-senpai was into sentai." Koneko-chan noted with interest (and...amusement?), looking at another album.

"Awww~!" Mittelt squealed. "Shirou-chan looks so cute when he's playing superhero~!"

"...Yes..." Yuuma nodded, her eyes sparkling for some reason as she looked at photos. I think she might have been drooling slightly.

I felt my flushed face turned even redder. "I-I don't see how t-that's any of your business, jerks! Those aren't for you!" I lunged for the album only for Koneko-chan to toss it back over her shoulder.

"I got it~!" Mittelt leaped into the air and caught the album, sticking out her tongue as she dropped to the ground. "Personally, my favorite pose is this one~!" Mittelt pulled a rather stereotypical 'hero pose', grinning. "I am the Red Ranger, defender of justice!"

Oh the shame of my embarrassing past! The worst part was that Mittelt's imitation of me was rather spot-on.

"Shut up, you damn-!" I lunged for the album again but Mittelt threw it into the air again, Yuuma being the one to catch it this time. She flinched and almost cowered a little when I turned to her, using the album as a shield. I sighed. "Forget it."

When she looked like that, it seemed like I was the bad guy. So I decided to gauge the rest of the damage to my reputation.

I ran back to Onee-sama and glared at her. "Why are you doing this?"

Mako-nee smirked, sticking out her tongue. "Well, this IS usually the part where the big sister horribly embarrases the little brother, completely destroying their social life. ESPECIALLY when there are girls involved..."

I frowned. While Mako-nee always had a sarcastic, ironic, or just plain rude sense of humor a majority of the time, her voice sounded more tense than before and her joke was poorly put together.

I had the strange feeling she also hadn't forgotten about our previous conversation...

"...Small Shirou..."

"...so small and adorable..."

"...sweet, lovable master..."

Whatever I was about to say was interrupted when I saw Kalawarner, Sakura, and Buchou all crowded around one single photo album.

All of their faces were tinged a slight pink color and their eyes were sparkling.

""...Little Shirou from childhood, little Shirou from childhood, little Shirou from childhood, little Shirou from childhood, little Shirou from childhood...""

I felt very disturbed by the fact they sounded like they were chanting for some ritual.

Then Asia suddenly appeared beside them, smiling with a similar look on her face as the other three.

"I think I know how Buchou-san feels!"

I felt a chill roll down my spine. "Why does it feel like you guys are picturing something that's quite possibly illegal...?"

If my suspicion was correct, I would have to watch them around cute, little boys...I would not let them fall down the disgusting path of shotaconhood!

Having been disturbed enough for one moment, I tried to preserve whatever dignity I could manage.

I turned to see that Kiba, too, held an album. I glared daggers at him.

"If I don't want THEM looking at my pictures, why the Hell would I want you looking at them?!"

I lunged at Kiba, but he smoothly dodged my assault (I secretly cried at how I couldn't catch ANYBODY today). "Hahaha, don't worry about it. Let me enjoy your album a bit more."

"DON'T SAY THAT!" I screamed. "IT SOUNDS SO CREEPY, STUPID PRINCE!" I continuously lashed out at Kiba, trying to snatch my memories of childhood innocence from his hands.

I only stopped when I saw a surprised look on his face. "This..."

Confused, I got closer and looked at the particular photo he was looking at. "What is it?"

Then I felt a huge wave of sadness wash over me when I saw the photo.

It was a picture of me and my childhood friend...Irina. Ah. I really haven't seen her in such a long time.

She always looked like a boy due to her tomboyish looks and personality, but I never saw her as anything less than beautiful. When we were little, I loved everything about her. The main thing we had in common was our love for "hero-play". We both had a powerful sense of justice and...

You see, she was my childhood crush. My first true love. I had the world's biggest crush on her, but I never got the chance to tell her how I felt. I had no idea whether or not she felt the same way that I felt for her...She moved to England a long time ago and I haven't seen or spoken to her since excluding a single postcard I had gotten with a quick picture of her. It was blurred a bit, as if she had been running while holding the camera, but I was able to once again glimpse her beautiful face, having only grown more beautiful with time.

My time with Irina was the first time my inability to talk about my feelings led to me wanting to bash my head against the wall until I slipped into a coma...

I would be lying if I said there wasn't still a part of me that was still in love with her despite my newly blossoming feelings for Buchou.

I snapped out of it when I noticed that Kiba was pointing at something in the photo. It was a familiar European sword...oddly even more familiar now. I could tell something was up with it.

"Do you remember this?" I was shocked by Kiba's sudden serious tone. It was a sharp contrast from his usual good cheer.

I frowned, staring intently at the sword. "Yeah. I did my best to stay away from it whenever I could...Something about it didn't seem exactly normal. Gave me the creeps."

Kiba nodded at my thoughts. "Indeed...So things like this happen, huh. To find it in such an unexpected place..." The blonde prince laughed bitterly to himself, but I could see the burning hatred in his eyes.

"Something wrong...?"

"This is a Holy Sword."

* * *

**Later...**

"...Aah, sorry. I wasn't paying attention." The stupid prince apologized, me still glaring at him.

To sum up what was going on, we were practicing for an upcoming ball tournament between all of the school clubs. Buchou was working us really hard. Everyday we ended up coming to the fields to practice in a variety of sports. Sakura and the Fallen Angels were exempt from this because they were honorary members, but they were not actually registered as members. But Kalawarner, Mittelt, Sakura, and Yuuma said they had something planned for when the Occult Research Club takes part in the tournament.

I was uncertain how to feel about it due to the vagueness in their explanation.

Then Kiba, having not been paying the least bit of attention, got hit smack-dab in the head by an incoming ball. After recovering, Kiba picked the ball up and threw it back to Buchou who caught it with a sigh.

"Yuuto, what's wrong? You've been acting rather strange lately. It's not like you."

"I'm sorry." Kiba apologized. He's been like this ever since he saw that picture of the Holy Sword. Ever since then, he always seemed preoccupied with something in his thoughts. During ORC activities, regular classes, and especially during sports practices, Kiba would just zone out. I knew it had SOMETHING to do with Holy Swords, but I had no idea what about them sparked this strange way Kiba had been acting.

We took a quick break as Buchou started reading what was apparently a baseball manual.

Buchou's so smart and studious! That's one of her many positive traits!

"Shirou-kun, did you know?" I almost jumped when Akeno-san appeared right behind me, whispering into my ear.

I frowned, turning to Buchou's [Queen]. "About what?"

"Recently, Buchou started reading a manual on love." Akeno-san explained.

I sighed, slightly depressed. "I see." That meant Buchou had someone she loved or planned on meeting. I knew it was inevitable now that she was a free woman with her engagement being called off. "Whoever he is, he's going to be a really lucky guy. Does Buchou have somone she likes?"

"Ufufufu. Shirou-kun, you don't have to worry about it. It'll be all right. It's impossible for Buchou to have a lover while you're not around."

I gave Akeno-san a confused look. "OK...I guess I'll believe you for now." I had to. Just thinking about Buchou in another man's arms made me feel like someone was piercing my heart with a million poison-tipped arrows.

"If Buchou were in your shoes, she'd be deeply shocked. Ufufufu, it's her first time. You'll be in trouble, Shirou-kun."

Before I could figure out what Akeno-san meant, Buchou swung her bat once. "Okay! Continuing!"

And our sports training continued...

* * *

****The Next Day...****

I ended up spending lunchtime sitting around the Perverted Duo, having nothing better to do to pass the time.

I continued drinking my orange juice from the school vending machine while the other two finished their respective meals.

"So club activities again?" Matsuda asked me, eating his curry-brad.

I took a break from drinking my juice and nodded. "Yep. Gotta train for the ball tournament."

I would not let Buchou down! I would win for sure!

"Hah...Occult Research Club practising to play ball. But... everyone in your club is sporty, right?"

I nodded. "Yep." It's because we are BADASS DEVILS! So our physical attributes were much greater especially when compared to humans. "We're just like that..."

"Shirou, you should be careful. There're bad rumors about you." Motohama said suddenly while fixing his glasses.

I raised an eyebrow, going back to drinking my juice. "Oh?" I don't see how they could be any different from the BS that's already been going around.

"The wild beast Shirou, playing around with beautiful girls. He's got a hold on Rias-senpai and Himejima-senpai. He's forcing them to do evil, sexual acts against their will. "Fufufu. The dignified Ojou-sama is making such a slutty face for me! You pig!". Then you abuse them with words and violence."

I paused my drinking for just a moment, opening one eye to stare at the Perverted Duo. "Eh." These were only slightly different from the usual rumors, but I will admit I felt annoyed how they claimed I would force such things upon Akeno-san and especially Buchou.

"There's more. The beast finally set his filthy fangs on the school's mascot, Koneko-chan, who has a loli body. Then he instigated intense sexual intercourse that could easily break her body. He feasted on an underdeveloped body. "Senpai... please stop...". But her words were futile to the beast. His lust for sex then reached the Angel who had just transferred to our school; he attacked Asia-chan on the first day. "I'll teach you about Japanese culture with my special after school lesson". He made the Angel fall down to the abyss at dawn... You took her into your house. The never ending hell took place in your small room. The brute Ise's hunt for beautiful girls never ends. It even swallowed the three new beautiful transfer girls, Yuuma-chan, Mittelt-chan, and the mature beauty, Kalawarner...his perversion took all three at once and it still hasn't ended...Well something like that."

COUGH COUGH

I was choking on my juice after taking a large sip by that point. "WHAAAAAAT!?" I let my juice drop to the ground. "How could people possibly think I could ever lay a hand on Asia?!" I was close to crying. I would rather die than lay a hand on my adorable friend! I raised my fist, an angry expression on my face. "What depraved bastards would dare create such a disgusting rumor about me and Asia!?"

"We did."

"Yeah."

I turned to Matsuda and Motohama, staring at them blankly. "I see..."

KNOCK! BANG!

"ASSHOLES!" I drove my fist right into the center of both of their faces within the span of a second, rage burning the air around me. "WHAT THE FUCK'S WRONG WITH YOU?! Spreading rumours about me?! Don't you guys try to drag me down to your level! Do you really want to die, seriously!?"

"Hm... We'll go crazy with jealousy if we don't do things like this."

"Hahaha! More like our heads are already fucked over!"

KNOCK! BANG! SLAM!

This time I punched the two of them so hard that they flew backwards and created craters in the wall.

"DON'T SOUND SO PROUD ABOUT IT! THE FUCK ARE YOU TRYING TO DO TO MY SCHOOL LIF-OK, WHAT'S LEFT of my school life?!"

"By the way, there's also a rumour about you and Kiba being a gay couple."

I felt my eye twitch. "Oh?"

CRACK! CRASH!

I punched the two bastards deeper into the wall. There would forever be deep craters in the walls resembling the faces of the Perverted Duo.

"How...did you know...it was us who spread it...?" Motohama asked with his dying breath.

"Lucky guess." I spat sarcastically.

I am friends with some pretty depraved guys...Although the reason I'm friends with them is a little fuzzy by this point.

I sighed. "Well, not that this hasn't been fun, but I'm going to have to get Asia and report for club activities. Both of you please go die somewhere." With that, I headed to the corner of the room where Asia sat with Kiryuu.

Yuuma was missing today because she was busy doing...whatever surprise Sakura, Mittelt, and Kalawarner were planning...

I waved lazily. "Have you finished lunch, Asia?"

"Asia, your boyfriend is calling." Kiryuu teased. I glared at her.

"B-b-b-boyfriend!?" Asia said, incredibly flustered. I suppressed a chuckle. Asia was pretty cute when she was flustered.

"Eh? I'm wrong? But the two of you are always together, so I thought you were to serve as my replacement for Shirou-kun~" Kiryu stated, clearly still teasing.

"T-That's-" Asia paused, blinking, her fluster-ness turning into confusion. "'Your replacement'?" I tensed.

Shit. I was hoping she missed that part.

Then realization flashed across her face, her jaw dropping. Asia pointed at me and then Kiryuu, going back and forth between the two of us with shock clear on her face.

"K-Kiryuu-san a-and Shirou-san...?" I rubbed the back of my neck nervously, wincing at the slightly accusing tone in Asia's voice.

"Yeeeaaaah..." I said awkwardly. Kiryuu smiled playfully, adjusting her glasses.

"I don't need _these_ to figure out the size of Shirou's huge-" Kiryuu was interrupted as I hit her upside the head (not hard enough to leave even a bruise, but hard enough).

"Dumbass! Don't say things just to cause embarrassing misunderstandings!" I shouted, my face having turned a deep shade of red. I turned to Asia to see how she was taking it, but the poor girl still had her hands on the sides of her head, shaking her head. It looked like she was desperately trying to deny something.

Kiryuu pouted, rubbing her aching head. "How rude. After all the trouble I'm going through to teach Asia about 'skinship' for you."

I glared. "You pervy, four-eyed witch!" I shouted much more loudly than before. "How dare you try to corrupt Asia!"

"So you DON'T want to do ecchi things with Asia?" Kiryuu asked innocently

I clenched my fists, my face turning EVEN REDDER. "W-Well it's not like-it's just that-SHUT UP!" I growled, grinding my teeth. "I want to but don't want to at the same time. I like Asia and I admit to sometimes wishing to do ecchi things with such a beauty, but I can't BECAUSE it's Asia. It's not like when we used to-"

"Ara ara, Shirou~!" Kiryuu smiled perversely, fanning her face as she blushed playfully. "Bringing up such steamy memories here~?"

"THAT! THAT is exactly what I'm talking about!" I pointed out. "We just DID things. There was no beating around the bush or anything because we both knew quite a bit about ecchi things...Besides. WE were in a relationship at the time. I can't just go thinking about doing things like that with Asia when we aren't even together."

Kiryuu's smile became a wide grin. "Well, that's good for both of you because Asia li-Mugah!" Then Asia appeared behind Kiryuu, clamping her hands over the darker-haired girl's mouth.

"Aaaah! Please stop, Kiryuu-san!" It was amazing how easily Asia's red face could be mistaken for a tomato at that moment. Her eyes were watering.

"Anyway, Asia. We were told to go to the club room so let's go."

"Okay!"

I saw Matsuda and Motohama mocking me with kissy faces. Kiryuu gave me a thumbs up.

In return, I flipped all three of them off once I was certain Asia was out of sight. No need for her to learn about such a gesture.

And then we headed to the clubroom...

* * *

**Later...**

Now, I COULD fully go into detail about a certain meeting with a certain student council...

But I won't. It would take too much time to talk about and WAAAAAAY too boring.

So let me sum it up:

The ORC met with the Student Council. Turned out the Student Council was the Peerage of Sona Shitori, AKA Sona Sitri, a Devil. Her [Pawn], Saji was kind of a prick and I ended up punching him in the face (got scolded for that, but the guy had it coming. He tried lumping me in with the Perverted Duo! I'm NOT like them). That didn't help me make a good impression on Shitori/Sitri-senpai.

Blah blah blah, Kaichou and Buchou get into a super heated tennis match that ended in what I believe to be a draw...

And then it was time for the club matches.

Kiba was still spacing out like usual, which was starting to get on my nerves.

When Asia showed up wearing bloomers with her PE uniform rather than the standard shorts, I was ready to forget the fact Kiryuu was my friend and not hold back when I hit her.

Part of me wanted to praise the perverted witch while the other part wanted to curse her.

As I later found out, the surprise Sakura and the other girls were setting up was indeed splendid.

...Cheerleaders.

That just about sums it up.

You see, Sakura, Yuuma, Mittelt, Kalawarner, and even Murayama and Katase (I have no idea why or when they got there) were all dressed in incredibly tight-fitting cheerleading outfits that seemed to hug their bodies. During all of the ORC's club matches, they would be on the sidelines, cheering us on...mainly me though.

Sakura led the cheer routine and I tended to get distracted by their beautiful bouncing breasts...

Oppai and tight outfits...Best. Combination. Ever.

I was incredibly disappointed when they eventually got ejected for the duration of the tournament.

If it was just the crude positions they took or the vulgar and otherwise inappropriate language, people could care less. It was only when Sakura had a bit of a wardrobe malfunction that they got kicked out...No idea how it happened or if it was really an accident, but Sakura somehow ended up topless.

Even if she is my familiar...her oppai are so beautiful!

Speaking of praising, cursing, and/or ecchi-related things, I got quite a few of both throughout the day.

There were the girls who became even more desperate for me to 'unleash my inner beast' on them upon hearing that I quickly went after all of the beautiful girls in the ORC and then there was the guys who cursed me for 'taking all of the most beautiful and innocent girls girls and corrupting them'...

I will admit that one stung a little.

So I had a majority of the guys from other clubs targeting me specifically.

...Didn't turn out too well for them.

In dodgeball, I was only stopped because I tried catching a ball that was heading for the still-dazed Kiba, dropping the ball and causing me to get out.

It could've been worse though.

I could've gotten hit in the balls like some of the poor bastards I got out...

Hey, when you have your pride shattered by 'You wicked pervy beast!' and 'You princess ruiner!', despite how bad the insults are, it still hurts.

So yeah, I purposefully went for the nutshots.

I'm an ass. I admit it.

Not ashamed of it, but I admit it.

Besides, those guys had it coming, I'm sure. I'm just the deliverer of the divine judg-PFFFTHAHAHAHHAHA! I can't even say that with a straight face!

Neh, it was just really fun seeing their expressions turn from blood-rage and overconfident to ones that looked like they had lost all will to live due to the immense pain in their bodies...

Wow. Even from my point of view, that sounded a little sadistic. I think Akeno-san might be rubbing off on me.

But in the end, the Occult Research Club ended the tournament with us as the victors.

I felt really happy when they proclaimed us as the winners. I couldn't stop grinning to myself.

To be acknowledged in something was nice. I thought nothing could spoil my mood...

I thought wrong.

It was raining when I walked outside.

SLAP

That was the bitter sound that rang out through the rain. The fact that someone got slapped wasn't surprising. Rather, it was WHO got slapped that was surprising.

...Kiba.

"How is it? Did you wake up?" Buchou sounded angry and I knew why.

I was somewhat annoyed too. All day, Kiba's been horribly uncooperative! He contributed ONCE OR TWICE, but no more than that! Buchou sometimes got angry DURING matches, but Kiba showed no concern or guilty whatsoever. He didn't seem to care at all. Even getting slapped across the face, he showed no expression and spoke no words. He was usually the annoying prince who wore such a smiley expression all the time...

I was somewhat worried (I WILL DENY IT!). I felt it may have been my fault somewhat because it all started when he saw that picture of me and Irina in front of that Holy Sword.

"Are you done now?" Kiba asked with the world's most fake smile. "The ball tournament has finished as well. We won't be practicing anymore so can I take a rest until it's night time? I'm a bit tired so I will take a break from the usual club activity. I'm sorry for my behaviour this noon. Seems like I didn't feel well today."

I narrowed my eyes and marched up to Kiba when he tried walking away. I grabbed him by the shoulder to stop him. "You've been acting really weird these past few days, Kiba, and you're worrying everyone. Tell me what the Hell's bothering you."

Kiba smacked my hand away. "None of your business, Fujimura." All of us, even me, were shocked by the sudden hostility in his voice.

I glared at Kiba, realizing something. "The Holy Swords...That's what this is about, isn't it?"

It made sense now. It wasn't just now, but ever since my battle with Riser, Kiba's been different when I was around. Like, he held hostility, but felt bad about it and hid it with his usual smiley face. It was because of his dislike for Holy Swords...like the ones I used against Riser. He hated them like nothing else along with their wielders.

I was technically a Holy Sword wielder thanks to [Blade Genesis].

And So Kiba's hatred for Holy Swords and their wielders...it also applied to me.

Kiba's eyes narrowed, all traces of his false smile gone. "Yes...My reason for fighting..."

I raised an eyebrow. "Wasn't that for Buchou?"

That is what I thought all this time. I assumed that Kiba, with his apparently nice-guy attitude, would be fully devoted to serving and protecting Buchou, but it was at that moment that I saw his true face.

The face that reflected his true self.

"No. I'm living so I can seek my revenge. Holy-sword Excalibur. Destroying that is the reason why I am living." I stepped away from Kiba.

That powerful yet dark determination on his face...mixed with the burning hatred in his eyes that clearly applied to my own Holy Sword powers...

I knew then, as I watched Kiba walk away, that I would never forget that terrifying sight for as long as I lived...

I would never forget the hidden face of Yuuto Kiba.

**And done. Much shorter than usual and I skipped over a bit, but I never liked the ball tournament parts...so yeah...**

**It's better than nothing so here you go.**

**I am also sorry it took as long as it did, but I got this game, Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love, and...I beat in three days...Would've taken longer if I hadn't realized at the last minute that it wasn't a game over due to some wrong choice I made and I didn't die...Almost restarted the PS2 without saving. THAT would've sucked. Turns out there are alternate routes and I WILL eventually replay it...**

**I wish there were more quality fanfics for it though...I have several ideas, but no time or space.**

**If anyone's interested in writing a Sakura Wars fic...I have a few ideas...**

**Anywho~**

**Thanks for the reads and reviews~!**

**Bye-Bye~!**


	17. Chapter 16: Lies and Secrets

****And...yeah. Sorry about that last, incredibly short chapter...Not gonna lie, just couldn't find much to fit in there...****

****Oh yeah. About that 'Issei's sister fic'...yeah. That's not happening cos I can't do OC-insert and bi-harem at the same time...For those of you who was looking forward to it, I'm sorry I suck at coming up with the first chapter of the story idea...Couldn't even complete a full outline. The middle of the idea was just blank. I only had the very beginning and the very end. Clearly not a good sign. Didn't help that I realized how hard it was to find a way to make the females in the bi-harem to fall in love with my sister OC. I didn't want to say 'they just fell in love'. I want it to seem REAL, you know?****

****So to restate: The story idea involving Issei and a sister with a bi-harem is not happening.****

****I would attempt a brother fic (like that hasn't been done several times already), but that would seem like a huge slap in the face to all of the people I promised a sister fic to...so nope.****

****On the bright side, I came up with several Sacred Gear ideas that I'm willing to pass out to anyone interested.****

****Disclaimer: I own nothing except OC's.****

****Chapter 16:****

****Lies and Secrets****

After club activities had ended for the day, Buchou, Asia, Sakura, and I had returned to my house. We headed to my room after I asked Buchou about Kiba and his hatred for Holy Swords. It was apparently quite a serious subject.

"The Holy Sword Project?"

Buchou nodded. "Yes. Yuuto is a survivor of that project." I felt my body tense a little.

What did she mean by 'survivor'?

"There was a project several years ago inside the Christian Church that aimed to make those who can wield the Holy Sword Excalibur."

"…This is my first time hearing this." Asia stated in confusion. Well she may have been a holy maiden, but I don't think she was very high up on the food chain.

I crossed my arms and closed my eyes, thinking. "So they wanted to find wielders for the most powerful weapon against Devils. Makes sense considering how harmful they are against us. Just one touch will burn us. Trying to wield one could possibly kill us." I flinched, remembering my mishap with my Sacred Gear's Holy Swords during our mountain training. After I gave up my arm, it was no longer a problem, but that was the kind of pain you could never forget. "I can only wield my own Holy Swords because the power in them is diluted as they are imitations and even then they are powerful enough to harm even Riser. Overall, Holy Swords could possibly be the ultimate weapons against the enemy of God and the Angels, the Devils."

"Exactly." Buchou said. "Even though there are numerous holy-swords originating from all over the world, I still think the most famous one would be Excalibur. Even in Japan, it comes up in many books. It's a holy weapon that is created through means of magic and alchemy by those who reach the territory of God. But holy-swords choose their wielders. I hear that only one person in a decade or so gets chosen."

"So I'm guessing that the Holy Sword Project had something to do with letting normal people wield Holy Swords like Excalibur, Durandal, or Kusanagi." Buchou nodded. On paper, it sounded like a good idea, but I knew that this would not be the case.

"Yes. Yuuto received artificial treatment to adapt to the holy-sword, particularly the Excalibur."

"Judging from our current situation, the treatment didn't take, did it?"

Buchou shook her head, a somewhat sad expression on her face.

"Yuuto couldn't adapt to the Holy Swords." She explained. "Not only Yuuto, but it seems like everyone who received a treatment similar to Yuuto's couldn't either. The people of the Church decided to view the ones who couldn't adapt to the holy-swords as "defective products" and disposed of them."

I felt my heart stop, my eyes widening in shock. "What do you mean "disposed of them"?"

"Exactly as it sounds." Buchou replied. "Most of the people experimented on were killed including Yuuto. Only because they couldn't adapt to the Holy Swords…" I turned my gaze towards the ground.

Is this what's been eating Kiba up inside...? The reason he's like this?

"…It can't be. It's not an acceptable act by those who serve God." Asia was trembling, her eyes flooded with tears.

"In case you haven't noticed, nun, as of recently, God hasn't exactly been the nicest bastard."

There was a large pause as Buchou and I turned in shock towards Sakura. Her cold expression held no remorse for the words she spoke to Asia.

"They, the people of the Church, call Devils an evil existence, but the bad intentions of humans are the greatest of evils. They mock Devils and make them to look like the most evil beings while they are the just ones." Sakura gained expression like he had tasted something sour. "Damn hypocrites...How dare they..."

"Sakura." I uttered, uncertain what to say in response to everything my familiar had just said.

Sakura blinked, as if realizing that we were there, bowing her head. "I'm sorry."

I scratched my head, deciding to let it slide just one time but address it later. "Anywaaay, back to the subject of Kiba. What exactly happened?"

Buchou continued from where she left off. "When I reincarnated Yuuto into a Devil, that boy was swearing for his revenge even when he was in a critical situation. Because his talents were being used for Holy Swords since he was born, I wanted him to use his talents as a devil. Yuuto's talent at using swords would be a waste for only using it for Holy Swords."

"Well, considering Kiba's acting like he is now, he never let go of it, did he?" I asked.

"That boy couldn't forget about it. The Holy Swords. Those who were involved with the Holy Swords. And the people of the Church…"

Buchou stopped when she noticed my expression. I wasn't even sure what it looked like, but I assumed it was something between sadness, anger, and pity.

"So that's it. Why Kiba hates priests. Why he's so fixated on Holy Swords. Why he started hating me when I first starting using the Holy Swords created by [Blade Genesis]. This grudge of his..." I trailed off, uncertain what else to say.

"Shirou," Buchou said sadly. "Kiba doesn't hate you. Right now, his head is just so full of the feelings he has towards Holy Swords. If anything, he hates the Holy Swords you wield rather than you yourself. But I hope he returns to his normal self."

I sighed. "It's not that he hates me that is what's bugging me. It's the fact I think that his current state might kind of be my fault." I pulled the photo of me and Irina from my pocket, showing it to Buchou. "He started acting like this after he saw this picture."

I was surprised by how widely Buchou's eyes opened. "Shirou, are you related to someone from the Church?"

I shrugged. "Wouldn't know. Mako-nee's the only family I've had all my life. So I might or might not be. That person in the photo is just my childhood friend. My friend just happened to be of the Christian faith..." I debated whether or not to tell Buchou either facts that I was (and sort of still am) in love with her or that she was the one who I...neh. I should probably hold back on both of those facts.

Probably wouldn't help my relationship or my four year romance plan to tell her that (that's right, I've thought it through that far...it's not the best plan, but at least I have something).

"So, there is one near you… No, there WAS a Holy Sword in this area about 10 years ago. It's so terrifying."

I nodded. "If it was a Holy Sword, it would explain why I got such a strange feeling around it. My instincts were telling me its true nature." But it didn't explain why I felt on-edge around it all the time.

"It's certainly not as powerful as the Holy Swords you mentioned, but it's a genuine article..."

I stood up, brushing myself off. "I get it...All this depressing talk about death and Holy Swords is bumming me out...I know the truth now and maybe soon Kiba will just forget the whole thing."

It was absolute bullshit that I just said. The Holy Sword Project took everything from Kiba. His friends, his happiness, and even his life. If I knew as much about Kiba as I thought I did, then there was no way he was ever going to truly let it go. Not until he reached the end of his undoubtedly destructive path of revenge.

"Indeed." Buchou agreed. "Thinking about it won't change Yuuto back to normal anytime soon. So let's go to bed now." Then Buchou started to strip. I turned away, blushing and suppressing a nosebleed.

"D-Do you really have to do that right in front of me?"

Buchou raised an eyebrow. "Hm? You know that I can't sleep without being naked, Shirou."

Indeed I do.

"Is there something wrong with my body?" I couldn't help but notice a strange edge in Buchou's voice.

I waved my arms crazily. "N-No way! I love to see the beautiful naked bodies of girls, but-Wait that came out wrong! What I mean is that you're body's hot and-Damn, I mean-!"

"K-Kyaaaaaaa!" Buchou and I immediately turned to the sound of Asia screaming and were shocked by the sight.

Wrapped around Asia with her head poking over the side of Asia's shoulder was my slime familiar, Suu. She smiled as her body stretched into many appendages that wrapped around various parts of Asia's body.

"S-Suu!" I shouted. "What are you doing?!"

Suu then tightened her grip, her hands(?) around Asia's breasts giving a quick squeeze.

"Kyaaaa! S-Suu-san, what-!?"

I felt my face turn a deep shade of red. "EEEEEHHHHH!?" The final straw was when Suu's slimy parts started melting through Asia's clothing.

Yeah, even though she's technically more intelligent than she was before, Suu still had a craving for girl clothes. Why? Beats the Hell out of me.

And that is the reason why Asia was slowly becoming naked before my eyes, her clothes being dissolved and devoured by my familiar.

"S-Suu! Knock if o-" Then Asia's oppai became visible. I remember something red and warm spilling out of my nose as I stared in shock and embarrassment.

Sakura had a strange smile on her face. "Kufufufufu. It appears Suu is responding to our master's wishes."

I stared at Sakura. "What?!" I then turned back to Suu. "No! BAD SUU! Put her down! Buchou, heeelp!"

"I'm afraid I wouldn't know how to stop your familiar." Her expression was cold, but there was a slight trembling in her voice and a powerful hesitance to get near Suu.

"Ah, what's with that cold expression?"

"E-eeeeh! S-Shirou-san, p-please help!"

"U-Um...S-Suu! Put her down now! N-No don't touch her THERE! GAAAAH!"

"Master happy?"

"NO! Master most certainly isn't happy! And don't pull those damn adorable eyes when you're doing such a bad thing! Damn, I'm bleeding again!"

Not gonna lie. This wasn't one of my proudest nights.

* * *

I downed a whole gallon of water to cool myself off after the little incident...Then I had to go to the bathroom before heading back to the kitchen.

I'll tell you, it's hard as Hell living in a house with three beautiful women who you kind of like. Four if you count Suu but she spends most of her time in the Familiar Forest until she shows up unannounced seemingly for no other reason than to cause severe psychological trauma.

Speaking of psychological trauma, Asia decided to sleep wearing her night gown than copy Buchou and attempt to sleep naked again. So yeah...she was not in a good place at the moment. I felt both scarred yet relieved. It was hard to think about touching either Asia or Buchou when we slept together in my bed. It was one thing to do it in my sleep, but it was another to purposefully mean to do ecchi things to either.

Dammit! This is supposed to be a guy's fantasy for Maou's sake! Why can't I take initiative or ASK at the very least, dammit! I couldn't even get to sleep because I have two (sometimes I think three cos I could swear I feel Sakura sneaking into my bed) bishoujo usually sleeping naked next to me!...

Course, not that I'd WANT TO go to sleep. Not with my nightmares...I kept seeing my dead mother on the ground before me whenever I closed my eyes at night. I think I ended up waking up more tired than when I went to sleep.

Damn. Just spoiled my mood with that thought. My problem with girls just changed to the nightly torture I endure in my dreams...

[Hey partner. Sorry to bother you.]

Ah. Yet another thing to worry about. The voices in my head.

[No. It's just me again. If you have other voices speaking to you mentally, THEN you have a problem.]

Yeaaah, just screwin with ya. The only voices I tend to hear are either those of my friends in the real world, your voice, or the bloodcurdling screams of my nightmares. By the way, haven't heard from ya in a while, buddy. Not a serious word since after I beat Riser.

I remembered. Ddraig let me sacrifice my left arm in exchange for being able to use [Blade Revelation] and replicated Holy Swords to defeat Riser. I was grateful really.

[Hehe. Don't mention it.]

I moved out of the kitchen and sat down on a sofa in the living room, sighing as I sat down and turned my gaze toward the ceiling.

I was so exhausted. I assumed the reason Ddraig was talking to me again was because my Dragon power was starting to become full again. I had a mixed perverted joy at the thought that I was going to have my power scattered by Akeno-san tomorrow. I felt happy yet guilty about it at the same time. My feelings were horribly inconsistent!

[I'm surprised you think such confused thoughts considering what a rough guy you seem to be.]

I felt annoyed at the strange tone of amusement in his tone.

Shut up! I'm a Devil, but that doesn't mean I've lost the me from before I was reincarnated! It's not in my nature to purposefully take advantage of a woman!...Wait. Why am I even talking to you about this?!

[...I don't mind talking about the opposite sex. I will admit that incident a moment ago was somewhat amusing.]

I paused.

You saw that?

[Well I am always with you, so I can hear it whether I want to or not.]

That's...troubling. So I can't have ANY personal space with you, can I? I can't even have personal time with Buchou without you knowing?

[Nope.]

That's fan-freaking-tastic. So...what do you think of Buchou?

[The Gremory and their servants are beings with extraordinary affection among the devils. Your master and friends are the same as well. Especially the love Rias Gremory has towards you is deep… Seems like she adores you a lot.]

Yeah. It's really gotten more apparent ever since I kicked Riser into the dirt.

I then raised my fist filled with hope.

Maybe now my dream of marrying Buchou isn't out of my reach after all. I mean, she already adores me a lot...but whenever I make a move, she seems so surprised, so I guess that kiss from before was more of a 'thank-you' rather than an 'I like you'. She still kisses me on the cheek or hugs me sometimes...

[Kukuku. You are probably at the age where you should experience that stuff. You should experience that kind of stuff as soon as you can. You won't know when the "white guy" will appear in front of you.]

HEY HEY HEY! Watch it! This is starting to sound offensive towards people of a certain skin tone!

I think Ddraig got that I was joking because he started chuckling a little bit.

"But seriously though. Who's this "white guy" you're talking about?"

[…The white dragon, Vanishing Dragon.]

'Vanishing Dragon'? I could only assume he had something to do with the Welsh Dragon I was currently speaking to. The Sekiryuutei is what Ddraig was called, so then this Vanishing Dragon guy is...

[You know that the three sides of God and Angels, Fallen Angels, and Devils were having a big war a long time ago, right?]

Dammit, Ddraig! I was trying to form a thought! Anyway, yeah. I know about it. The previous Maous including Satan himself perished in that war. It was a tragedy for all involved.

[Correct. At that time, other powers gave their support to certain sides. Fairies, spirits, European monsters, Asian Youkai, and humans. But the dragons were the only beings that didn't side with any of them.]

"Why?" I asked. It sounded strange that such powerful creatures wouldn't take part.

[Hmmm I wonder. I don't know the actual reason. But Dragons are beings that are made from a mass of powers and they all act freely and selfishly. There were Dragons that turned into Devils or those that sided with God. But the majority of them didn't care about the war and lived freely.]

I get it. There'll always be that neutral group in every war. The guys who prefer not to bother getting involved if it doesn't concern them.

[Aye. But during the Great War between the three powers, there were two stupid Dragons that started a fight. And those two were in the highest class of Dragons and they had a power that rivalled that of God and Maou. They started to fight each other while taking down the guys of the three powers. For the three powers, there wasn't anything more troublesome than these two Dragons. The three powers were having a serious war to take control of this World, and the two Dragons were disturbing the battlefield without any care.]

...Well. You at least have to admit that they had guts.

"But why were the two fighting so much? Was it some kind of territory war or just some kind of contest?"

[No idea. It's like they weren't interested in anything at all. The two Dragons probably couldn't remember the reason why they started to fight. And for the first time, the leaders of the three powers joined hands. "We have to get rid of those two Dragons, or else it's not a matter of war any more!" Like that.]

"Working together to defeat a common enemy?" I wondered. I shrugged. "I can respect that."

[The two Dragons that got their fight interrupted became mad. [Don't get in the way of our fight!], [A mere God and Maou shouldn't be interrupting a duel between Dragons!] - they responded like idiots. They went head on and tried to eat God, Maou, and the leaders of the Fallen Angels. Well, that was a mistake, I guess.]

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" I broke out into incredibly amused laughter. "What idiots! But you gotta admit those two got balls! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" I noticed Ddraig make a slight grumbling noise. Oh yeah. I couldn't lie and say I didn't know who they were anymore...

[In the end the two Dragons got cut into pieces and their spirits were sealed within human bodies as Sacred Gears. The two Dragons that were sealed within humans and used them as vessels, they encountered each other and fought each other countless times. Every time one of them won and one of them died. Sometimes one of them was already dead before the other one came and so they didn't fight, but most of the times they did. If the vessel, the human, dies, then the Dragons stop functioning for a certain time. Their spirits float around in this world until the humans with Dragon powers are born. That cycle has repeated countless times for many long years.]

"Man, sounds like you and that Vanishing Dragon guy have some serious shit going on between you. And so I take it the Vanishing Dragon also has a vessel somewhere?"

[Yeah that's right. This time it was you who became my host. And you even became a Devil. In all the long years I have been like this, this is a first time. That's why I am looking forward to it. I wonder what's going to happen this time.]

"Well, judging from this cycle thing you're going on about, I think we're just going to kick that White Dragon's ass." Then another thought. "But just to let you know, I DO have my own goals in mind, so you're shit with the Vanishing Dragon is on the back burner for me. The only reason it's on the metaphorical stove at all is because I'll have to beat the shit out of him at some point to achieve my goal: To become the strongest existence! To become a being who surpasses Heaven and Hell! My SECONDARY goal is to form an army of powerful, beautiful girls as my personal servant Devils! So I'll be beating the shit out of evil guys with one hand while I'm doing ecchi things with a hot girl with the other!"

There was a brief moment of silence...Then Ddraig broke out into laughter again.

[Hahaha! It's also my first time having a host like you as well. Most of the hosts in the past either got too proud of our powers or too terrified of our powers, with none of them living a decent life. In that respect, you're somewhere in between.]

I grinned. "Yeah. I'll use the power of the Dragon to achieve my goals, but I also want to live a good life. Doing ecchi things with girls and punching people who deserve it. That's my goal."

[You're weird, but I'll admit you're an interesting host. Either way you are a being that is possessed by a Dragon. In whatever age and country, Dragons represent power. You know how, even though they come in many different forms and shapes, there are pictures and carvings of dragons in many different countries? Throughout the ages humans admired Dragons, respected Dragons, and feared Dragons. Unwittingly, Dragons fascinate those around them. Or those with power gather around the Dragons. If there are people who come to you with admiration or to challenge you, then it's most likely the power of the Dragon.]

"Bullshit!" I shouted angrily.

[...Partner?]

I sighed, leaning back into the couch. "Looks like I'm two steps back then."

[What do you mean?]

"Well...the reason I wanted this power was so I personally could be strong. I want to be known as Shirou Fujimura. Not as the possessor of a Dragon or a beast. Just me."

[...I see. I heard you're conversation with Rias Gremory. Well...]

I suddenly started feeling depressed again. No matter how strong I got, people would only recognize it as the power of the Sekiryuutei. Not my own power.

[If it makes you feel better, then think about it like this: They respect the person who learned to control the power of the Dragon. Not too many people other than my partners can say they've completed such a feat. If you want to let yourself be known, then hone this power and make it your own. Become the master of the Sekiryuutei's power.]

I blinked, considering Ddraig's argument. "Huh. Actually, that does make me feel better. I guess I just have to work on controlling this power. It really just means I have to work harder so my own personal power is recognized." I grinned. "Plus, this power will attract stronger guys for me to fight. That means more people I can beat down and get stronger!"

[To fight strong foes that are attracted to power. That's the path of those who possess the Dragon Emperor. I admire your optimism. For you who seeks to fight strong beings and claim women, you are certainly in luck. ESPECIALLY if you want women.]

"Ooh. That sounds awesome...You're being serious though, right? You're not screwing with me, man?! I swear to MAOU if you're kidding me!"

[I kid you not, partner. All of my hosts were surrounded by the opposite sex. I think you call them popular, right? They didn't have to worry about the opposite sex at all.]

"Just like that, I'm set on this path. It was the 'fighting strong people' part that really had me sold, but the 'sex with girls' was the icing on the cake."

[Then you are in for a treat, my friend. I had one possessor who slept with different woman every night...Partner, I'm not sure, but I think your eyes are sparkling.]

"Indeed they are, Ddraig." I confirmed. "Indeed they are." I WAS SO EXCITED! Incredible power and the possibility of a harem-y future? I would've sworn that I was dreaming if I didn't already know that my dreams were nothing but nightmares as of late and-Shit.

I sighed, face-palming. "Dammit..." The images were back again. Despite me being so excited about my possible future with Ddraig in my Sacred Gear, my mind still wandered back to that nightmare. "Ddraig...what do you think of these nightmares I've been having?"

There was a long silence as the atmosphere became cold.

[I can say that they are certainly strange...]

"Could it have to do with me sacrificing my arm?"

[No.] I couldn't help but noticed that Ddraig sounded slightly insulted. [I have had several users once before who dared to pay this price and they suffered no such side effects. I think this might be more of a personal problem.]

"Oh ple-Wait hold on." I just realized I was talking aloud for some reason. Maou knows whether or not I woke up any of the others with my outbursts.

Oh please tell me you're not gonna suggest a psychiatrist. Last time I went there, they just shoved pills down my throat and everyone called me a pyromaniac!...Then again, I did accidentally burn down an abandoned warehouse that a bunch of thugs were using as an HQ...for reasons I will not tell you now.

[Don't have to...] There was a strange sniffling sound. [Wow. That is DARK, my friend. And I've seen many many dark and depressing things during my time sealed away.]

...Mention it to no one.

And then I was depressed again, remembering that depressing event from my past...

Anyway, so what could it be?

[It might have something to do with that seal we discussed.]

Ah yes. After the [Rating Game] against Riser, Ddraig told me that I had somehow broken this second seal that was placed on me. Ddraig didn't know what it was for and neither did Buchou when I told her about it. She was confused about it, but didn't find any life-threatening effects caused by its disappearance.

Do you think...that this seal could have something to do with my nightmares?

[It's quite possible, partner. As I've said, its purpose is unclear. It may have been created to seal away a certain memory or something.]

But who could've placed such a thing? I mean, I think Mako-nee would know where to start looking for the answer since she's all into that occult stuff, but every time I approach her about it, she starts acting weird and runs away...

My head started hurting. It was probably a combination of confusion and exhaustion eating away at my brain.

"Forget it...Once again, I have no choice but to put it off..." I raised my left hand and raised it towards the sky.

"OK, so for now let's focus on beating this Vanishing Dragon and getting me a harem, Ddraig. Let's do our best. Let's be sure to work together!"

[Right, Partner.]

After me and this Dragon Emperor made this promise, I finally worked up the courage to try to get to sleep on the couch that night. I'd like to say it was blissfully peaceful...

But it wasn't. Once again, I was tortured by that horrible dream.

I once again vividly imagined the blue flames that tried to swallow me whole.

I once again woke up the next morning, trembling, the worried gazes of Buchou, Asia, and Sakura constantly keeping watch on me...

* * *

****The Next Day...****

I sat in the middle of a modified former classroom on a floor that was covered in tatami. I was sitting shirtless in the middle of a magic circle. The room had tons of symbols and stuff that if someone else walked into the room, they would just have to take one look and they would KNOW that it was used by Devils.

I admit I was just a LITTLE self-conscious about my chest being bare. But it had to be done.

I had to get my Dragon power scattered by Akeno-san. I can't very well bring my Dragon arm to school. People would start thinking I was mutating into some sort of monster...Well, a SCARIER monster.

My thoughts were interrupted when the door opened, allowing Akeno-san to walk in. She was dressed in white cloth and her pony tail was untied. I couldn't help but appreciate how beautiful and attractive she looked. I know what you're thinking. I was still in love with Buchou (and Irina somewhat), but that doesn't mean I can't find other women attractive!

"Ara ara, I might blush if you keep looking at me with such lustful eyes, Shirou-kun." Akeno-san teased, smiling.

I turned away, blushing deeply. "S-Sorry!" I turned my gaze towards the ground, incredibly embarrassed. I forgot that she could easily see my eyes staring at her. Akeno-san then sat down in front of me sacredly.

"The preparations are done. Now, we shall begin."

My blush deepened when I realized Akeno-san's body was soaked. Her long black hair was sticking to her body and I could easily see her skin! Every part of her was easily seen through due to her wet, white clothes! I could see the pink of her nipples!

...I had horribly mixed feelings about this. The part of my mind that demands decency and for me to behave as a gentleman was commanding me to wrap her in a towel or jacket or something while the more perverted part was commanding me to 'go for the goal' and enjoy the amazing gift I had been given in the form of a practically naked Akeno-san.

"Ara ara. Did something happen?" Akeno-san asked. "You suddenly became quiet… Is something wrong with what I am wearing? The reason why it is soaked is because I put water onto myself for the ritual. Is it weird?" She patted herself on the chest and I could swear she was teasing me.

I started rubbing the back of my neck while laughing awkwardly. "N-No! I-It's great in fact!"

Oh sweet paradise~! Well it was until Mini-Devil Shirou appeared on my shoulder.

"_Hey, why don't you-"_

I swear to MAOU, I will dump you in the sewers if what you say has anything to do with groping or violating Akeno-san in some way.

Then the Mini-Devil me vanished in a puff of smoke.

That's what I thought.

I really hope my 'little friend' can hang on long enough for me to get through this. I...It would not be pleasant if he 'woke up' right in front of Akeno-san.

I was already running a scenario through my head where she would smack me and then...tons of unpleasantness that would involve her whipping the pervert out of-Dammit! Why am I getting turned on by that?!...

I was seriously beginning to think about my theory of me actually being into that kind of thing...

I then realized I was staring at Akeno-san's oppai again.

DAMMIT, SHIROU! Look somewhere else! Look at her legs or her-OH MY MAOU, SHE'S NOT WEARING UNDERWEAR!?...Her ass is wonderful...

"Let's start. Shirou-kun, please give me your left arm."

I swallowed. "Y-Yes! I'll be in your care!"

"To suck the dragon's energy directly from your finger, pulling accumulated energy out of your left I do this, your arm will temporary revert back to its original state."

Yep. I didn't see how it made sense, but somehow Buchou and Akeno-san suck out Dragon power through my finger...NO SENSE whatsoever...But I'm not sure if I'm complaining yet.

Akeno-san put my index finger in her mouth and started making obscene noises as she sucked on it.

My face reddened further as the stimulation I felt from such an act was unbearable. I had to bite my tongue to keep from accidentally letting out something embarrassing. I did my best to swallow any response to Akeno-san's ritual.

After a while, I realized she was making even LOUDER obscene sounds as she continued to suck on my finger. I was 100% sure that she was doing it just to screw with me. But...it felt so good...my mind was going blank with pleasure...Why was I getting so much...? I could feel the Dragon power being emptied from my arm, but the pleasure completely overwhelmed that feeling...

"Uheee!" I slipped out. I started trying to pull my finger away, moaning. "Please...no more..." I was reduced to panting out my words.

"Ah, what an erotic look on your face..." Akeno-san noticed, allowing me to remove my finger from her mouth. She was right. My mouth refused to close, my face was incredibly red, and I couldn't control my shallow breathing. "Is it that Shirou-kun is someone who likes to be teased...?"

I turned away, still panting. "...Sh-shut up...I'm not a freaking 'M'..." Akeno-san grabbed my hand and placed it close to her mouth before I pulled away. "P-Please...no more...I can't..."

"Ara ara, if you have such a cute reaction, then I just want to give you more service."

My eyes widened as I unconsciously backed away. "S-Service?"

"Yes. I also don't think it's a bad thing to adore my kouhai." Akeno-san then snatched my hand while I was distracted and once again started sucking on my finger again.

Damn! I forgot she was a sadist! She is an evil genius! An evil SADISTIC genius!

She started putting her body closer to me. I stared at her with both embarrassment and confusion on my face before she once again let go of my hand, but then wrapped her arms around me, hugging me.

Her body was cold because of her wet clothes but warm at the same time, not to mention SOFT. There was a strange fragrance that continued to eat away at my will power. After recovering from her brutal 'assault', my urge to take everything changed to an urge to take her. I couldn't help the blood that began to trickle from my nose.

Dammit! Remember Buchou! Resist temptation, dammit! You're a Devil, not a sex-beast!

I stiffened when Akeno-san started whispering in my ear. "Even I act like this, I have a great liking towards you, Shirou-kun."

My embarrassment changed to confusion. I looked around the room, trying to see if there was possibly some other 'Shirou' she was talking to. I pointed at myself. "Me?"

"Yes. First I thought of you as a cute kouhai." She explained. "But it's different lately. In the fight against the Phenex. I saw you showing such determination. You yourself managed to face and defeat almost every single member of Riser's Peerage including Riser himself."

I found myself smiling a little. "Yeah..."

"I was surprised when you took over the battle against Riser's [Queen] for me." Akeno-san appeared to be thinking about something. "Thinking back on it, I had no idea of the Phoenix Tears she possessed. I think that even I would've lost that fight if she was able to heal herself. You may have saved me by facing Riser's [Queen] yourself."

"Well I'm glad I was able to keep you from getting hurt then." I said. Akeno-san seemed somewhat surprised by my response. "If I was able to protect you, to keep one of the people precious to me from getting hurt, then it was worth the injuries I sustained."

"Ah?"

I smile softly. "Just like the others, Akeno-san is a precious person to me. If I am able to protect all of you, then it's worth anything I give up." I then realized what I said and turned away, blushing from embarrassment. "D-Don't tell the others I said that cos I'll just deny it!"

I looked back to Akeno-san and was confused by the expression on her face. She had a hand on her chest and her cheeks were tinged pink.

"Just like when you came to Buchou's side to defeat the 'Phoenix' who was said to be immortal...I get aroused by such things..."

I blinked. "E-Eh?"

Akeno-san chuckled softly. "Sometimes I think about you and the area around my breast gets hot. And I can't help it. But when I try to make you enjoy something like this, the instinct of a bully inside me rises… Is this love?"

I waved it off. "Erm..." I wasn't sure whether or not I should admit to Akeno-san that sexual bullying wasn't love. I was afraid of her continuing to tease me so I wisely(?) remained silent.

"But if I lay my hands on you, Rias might get mad. That person…truly sees you… Ufufu, you are a sinful man, Shirou-kun." I felt offended by that.

M-Me sinful?! You were the one who just-you-I-GAAAH!

I was too afraid to say anything because I think she might try to 'break me'. Part of me didn't want it but the other part was crying for more teasing and possible punish-DAMN WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME!?

I subconsciously noticed that Akeno-san called Buchou "Rias". I was jealous of how close she was to Buchou. If she were a boy, she and Buchou would be practically an item...Wow that sounded messed up out loud.

Akeno-san snapped me out of my thoughts when she moved her arms around my neck.

"Do you want to have an affair with me?"

"No."

Akeno-san blinked several times, surprised by my outright refusal. "What...?"

I shook my head. "First off, I have no idea what you're talking about. Second, even if I don't, it just sounds WRONG when you use the word 'affair' like that." Hey, like I said. I'm a firm believer in true love and things like affairs are an abomination to me. So I lost all of my drive when Akeno-san said that word.

Apparently she didn't understand because a strange smile crossed her face. "Or could it be that Shirou-kun is the type who needs to be dominated first?" I felt myself blushing again. "Ufufufu. I will keep quiet about what's going to happen now from Buchou and Asia-chan. Exciting, isn't it? A secret between us."

"W-Wait! What?" What did Buchou and Asia have to do with this?

"I also want to experience at least once. To get devoured by a younger boy with lust. I also have masochism within me as well. And it's about a good time...but it's quite a troubling matter deciding who will dominate who..."

W-What? I-I don't want to dominate anybody!...Well, I mean it's just...Huh?

I was too flustered to form a single thought. "I-I wouldn't even know how to dominate a woman! I-I'm still a virgin!" It felt like a sword was being stabbed through my heart when I admitted that depressing fact out loud.

Akeno-san appeared to be shocked at my confession. "Eh? That's a big surprise. I thought that you and Buchou had already…"

My blush became even deeper and I think I was starting to get dizzy. "No no no! We haven't done anything like that!"

"Ara ara. Is Buchou taking it slow? Then have you done it with Asia-chan?"

"Oh dear Maou NO! I would never do such a thing to Asia!" I could never do such a thing to the girl I swore to protect!

"Ah? Then what about Kalawarner?" I noticed a slight edge in her voice when she mentioned Kalawarner for some reason.

"NO! I haven't done ANYTHING with ANYONE!"

"If it's Shirou-kun, I thought that Buchou would have given you a "big treat" every night… This is certainly surprising."

I cocked my head sideways. What did she mean by "big treat"?

"Shirou-kun. Don't you want to do it with either of them?"

"Of course I do! But I don't at the same time! It's a horribly conflicting feeling! I want to have sex with Buchou, but I don't want to take advantage of her and I ESPECIALLY don't want to take advantage of Asia!"

"Poor you…Ara ara. Then both of you are slow at these things… I'm sure you could do it if you were willing to do it… Then it seems like I can't take your purity without her permission."

I was about to ask what the Hell she was talking about when I felt an evil presence behind me.

"Akeno, what's the meaning of this?" I turned to the direction of the voice's owner. Oh. It's just Buchou...Wait...

BUCHOU!? Shit, she sounds pissed!

"Ufufu. I was just scattering the power of the dragon." Akeno-san answered with no concern whatsoever.

"…Is that so? But no matter how you look at it…weren't you trying to do something beyond that?"

"Ara ara. I wasn't thinking of doing it."

"Even if you weren't, there is a limit. Even I haven't…"

I raised my hand uncertainly. "Can I say something?"

Both girls turned to me for a moment. ""No."" Then they turned back to each other.

"Isn't that because you are taking it slow? It might be good reading a book about it, but it won't go as smoothly as in the manual."

There was a long silence after that. They weren't glaring at one another, but they were staring with powerful intensity at one another. I quickly threw on my shirt and tried running to get away from this soon-to-be chaotic scene, but Buchou caught me by the collar and dragged me back. I winced when she started pinching my cheek.

OW! Why is it all girls have the strength to pinch my face off?!

"Shirou..." Shit. Now she's pissed at me again. "It seems like you were having fun. Did you get close to the Akeno-onee-sama that you admire so much?"

"...erm...Hm?" I couldn't make any intelligible noises with Buchou pinching my cheek like that. I wasn't even quite sure what to say in response to that. "No...?" My answer was apparently unconvincing because Buchou gained an angry expression.

"Then do whatever you want!" She walked out and slammed the door shut behind her.

"W-Wait! Buchou! It's not what you think!" I had to explain...something. I was still trying to process what the FUCK just happened! I had no idea why she was pissed!

I fell to all fours on the ground. I suddenly felt like crawling into a hole and dying. She hated me. I would be lucky if she ever spoke to me again let alone returned my feelings...

"Jealousy?" Akeno-san whispered in my ear. "She sure is cute. Ufufufu. Shirou-kun. It seems like you are making progress in your relationship."

I wanted to ask how Buchou getting angry at me was 'progress', but I was too tired. I just wanted to leave.

Add yet another problem to the top of my pile. It was wrong, but for some reason, Buchou looked cuter than usual...

* * *

Asia, Sakura, and I headed home together once school and club activities had finished for the day. Buchou would usually be with us, but I was pretty sure she was still pissed at me for whatever it was that I did to offend her.

When I asked her about walking home with us, she told me to go on without her. She wouldn't even look at me. I would've been able to deal with the pain in my chest if she at least looked at me when she said those cold words. But she seemed so sad for some reason.

"Isn't Buchou-san going home with us?" Asia asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.

I rubbed the back of my neck nervously. "I'm not quite sure, but I think I made Buchou angry at me."

"…Did you do something?" Asia asked with a worried expression. I felt my guilt once again punch me in the heart.

"Of course not!" Sakura defended. "Master did nothing wrong! It's that woman who dares to insult master!"

"Enough, Sakura. Don't speak bad of Buchou." Sakura silenced herself when I shot her a sharp look. She bowed her head in apology. "Besides, I think it is my fault...I hurt her...I have to apologize..." I stumbled while I was walking, quickly being balanced with the help of Asia and Sakura.

"Shirou-san!" "Master!"

I sighed, managing a tired smile. "It's fine. Just...just really tired..."

"Shirou-san...are you truly okay?" Asia sounded even more worried than before. I rubbed my eyes, nodding.

"Yeah...I just haven't been sleeping much lately..."

That only made Asia look even more worried. "Does it...does it have anything to do with the dreams Onee-sama's told me about?"

I mentally cursed at Mako-nee. I told her about that nightmare in confidence! It's bad enough she didn't give me a single goddamn answer, but she told Asia and the others about my nightmare too!?

I was too tired to keep my anger up for long. I had a lot of energy from the little sleep I did get, but I was still somewhat drowsy.

"It's...It's nothing I can't handle. It's fine..."

"Dreaming about your mother dying in a blue inferno is not quite what I'd define as 'fine', Master." Sakura argued.

I turned and patted both Asia and Sakura gently on their heads. "I understand you two are worried, but I'm really fine. Recurring nightmares have to end at some point."

Asia and Sakura glanced at one another, appearing at one another, clearly unconvinced, but they both nodded.

"I'm going to be okay. The nightmares have actually stopped being as bad." I lied. I shouldn't have stumbled cos now Asia and Sakura were worrying about me. "Anyway-" I froze. I was at the front door of my house, reaching for the doorknob, when I felt a powerful chill go down my spine.

I recognized this feeling. It was like when I first met Asia and brought her back to the church belonging to the Fallen Angels.

Asia must've sensed it too because she was shaking when she grabbed my hand to calm herself. I quietly summoned my Sacred Gear just in case.

Sakura stood behind me and in front of Asia protectively. We were both ready to defend her in case a fight broke out.

We made our way inside the house and looked around. Mako-nee wasn't in the kitchen (thank Maou) and I heard voices coming from the living room.

"And this is-" It was Mako-nee's voice, but it was cut off abruptly. I felt immediately worried when I heard the sound of feet shuffling around in the living room. I materialized a sword behind my back. I edged slowly towards the living room, urging Sakura and Asia to remain behind me.

"Mako-neeeee," I called in an attempt to make it appear that I wasn't aware of other presences, "I'm home." I walked slowly into the living room, raising the sword from behind my back. I walked out into the open, ready to attack when-

"Shiiiiiii-chaaaaaaaan~!"

"Eh?" I was taken by surprise when a girl my age suddenly appeared out of nowhere, tackling me into a bear hug. I lost focus and dispelled my summoned sword, too shocked to even think about talking.

"It's really you! It's been so long!" The girl who hugged me had chestnut colored hair tied into twin side pony tails.

"Who...?"

Then I took into account what she called me. 'Shi-chan'...There was only one person in my past who would ever call me that. I recognized the face from a recent postcard. It was-

"Irina!?"

"Imagine my surprise when I found Iri-chan and her cute friend standing at our doorstep, knocking on our door." Mako-nee said with amusement.

I blinked. "Cute friend?" I looked behind Irina and at the girl sitting next to Makoto. She was indeed attractive. She had blue hair with a green fringe in the middle. I froze again when I noticed what she was wearing. A white robe with a Rosario hanging around their chest. Like the one I saw Asia with when we first met.

An Exorcist.

I tensed when I realized that Irina was wearing the exact same thing.

I knew she was religious, but I never thought that...

It hurt knowing now more than ever that the first girl I ever loved would never return my feelings.

She was an Exorcist as well.

But I didn't sense any immediate killing intent from either, so I decided to keep things pleasant. I smiled at Irina.

"It's really good to see you again, Irina!"

Irina let out a sigh of relief, smiling back at me. "For a moment I was worried that you had forgotten about me."

I laughed a little at her worries. "As if I could ever forget you. You were my first friend and..." I trailed off, realizing I almost accidentally let slip a certain detail concerning Irina and I.

"Oh yeah. I was your first kiss after all."

I couldn't help but notice a powerful chill enter the air. It seemed to be emanating from behind me, but I was too certain that whatever I saw behind me was going to be ominous.

I felt myself blushing a little. "Yeah..." I remembered. It was our last day together and it was so sudden. Irina just pecked me on the lips and ran off, laughing. She meant it as a friendly gesture, but it was one of the greatest moments of my life. My first love was also my first kiss. "If anything, it should've been you who forgot about me. I mean, I wasn't always the most memorable guy. Hehehe."

"As if I forget about Shi-chan!" She shouted cheerfully. I became confused when Irina frowned and looked around. "So you and Mako-nee are here...where's Oka-sama?" I blinked, feeling an even colder atmosphere take the air all around us.

The question felt like a shot in the gut. "W-What...?"

"I figured Oka-sama would've baked some tasty cookies like she used to." Irina cutely complained.

I couldn't help but notice that Mako-nee was playing with the ends of her skirt nervously.

I gave Irina an incredibly confused and shocked expression. "Irina...w-what are you talking about? Oka-sama's been dead for a long time now." I didn't even register the fact she was also calling my mother 'Oka-sama'.

Irina's eyes widened as she stared at me in shock. Tears started filling her eyes. Then she started crying, burying her face into my shoulder. "WAAAAAAH!" I felt her hot tears soak my shirt. I uncertainly patted her on the back for several minutes before she pulled away, staring at me with her tear-stained face. "N-No! Sh-She can't b-be dead! W-When did th-this happen!?"

I gave Irina a funny (not in a "haha" way) look. "Irina...Oka-sama's been dead since I was like one year old. How...How do you even know her?"

Then it was Irina who looked confused. "What are you talking about...?" She sniffed, trying to keep from breaking out into tears again. "...T-The last time I saw her was when we were little...S-She was w-with you when you waved g-goodbye to me and my parents when we left..."

I felt my heart freeze, as if shocked into stopping.

No...No it can't be. M-Mako-nee told me...she told me I never knew Oka-sama's face because she died when I was a baby...what...B-But Irina wouldn't lie about something like this! But Mako-nee...J-Just what's going on?! W-Why don't I remember what she's telling me...?

"A-Are you okay, Shi-chan?" Irina's voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

I then realized that all eyes were on me, even Asia and Sakura's.

I shot a look at Mako-nee who seemed to flinch a little before trying in vain to act as if she knew nothing about this.

Realizing I couldn't bring that up now, I decided to keep quiet about my confusion.

I rubbed my eyes, sniffling slightly. "Y-Yeah, sorry. I've just been so tired lately...And now I just miss her..."

"Oh! I'm sorry, Shi-chan! I didn't mean to-"

I breathed deeply and exhaled. "No no. It's fine. I know you didn't mean any harm." Irina was still fighting back tears, so I think my pretending worked.

"So Miyako Fujimura is dead. This is truly a great loss." I noted the girl behind Irina bowing her head, as if praying for my mother. I didn't recall mentioning my mothers first name.

"Um...do I know you?" I asked, somewhat wary around this unfamiliar girl. "How do you know Oka-sama?"

The girl stepped forward and bowed her head this time in greeting. "Ah yes. My apologies. My name is Xenovia. I have no surname. It is a great loss as Fujimura-san was a important person in the Church. I admit it is regrettable I could not meet her."

And yet another shocking thing that was said that I had trouble processing. "The...the Church? O-Oka-sama...was part of the Church?"

Xenovia-san nodded. "Yes. One of the very best Exorcists to ever serve our God. She was a great asset to us as her children would've been." She narrowed her eyes at me, as if blaming me for dying and becoming a Reincarnated Devil as she no doubt knew I was.

"Yeah!" Irina agreed energetically, finally beginning to stop her tears. "If she had lived to this day, both you and Mako-nee would've no doubt been great assets as well."

I heard Mako-nee coughed "Yeah right." behind the girls' backs. I wasn't in any mood to be entertained by her antics.

"I see..." was all I could say.

Irina then looked at the clock and sighed. "Sorry, but we have to leave for now, Shi-chan. But let's catch up more later! And don't forget the promise you made!" She winked at me before she departed along with Xenovia-san.

I chuckled awkwardly, remembering the promise I made to her. "Yeah...I'll remember."

After they were out of sight, Asia tugged on my sleeve nervously. "Shirou-san-"

"Go upstairs, Asia." I said, trying to keep my voice neutral. I kept my gaze on Mako-nee, still sitting on the couch and shifting uncomfortable, not letting her leave my sight.

Sakura appeared on the other side of me. "Master..."

"GO UPSTAIRS!" I shouted in a commanding tone. "Just...please leave me and Mako-nee for now."

Sakura and Asia stared at one another uncertainly before nervously making their way to the stairs and running up them.

I took a deep breath, preparing myself mentally as I swung my arms by my side.

I turned towards Makoto. "So...WHERE should I start?"I asked rhetorically. "Should I start with the fact that Oka-sama was involved with the Church? The fact she didn't die as early as you said? Or maybe I should start with the fact that YOU'VE LIED TO ME FOR ALMOST TEN YEARS!"

Makoto looked away. "Oh, I should get the dishes done!" She quickly ran past me.

Not letting it go this time, I ran after her, blocking the kitchen entrance as Mako-nee started washing the dishes in the sink.

"So many dirty dishes..."

"Nice try, Makoto! But you're not dodging this subject anymore!" I ran up to Makoto and grabbed her by the arm, forcing her to look at me. "Tell me the truth!"

Mako-nee lowered her head, hiding her eyes behind her bangs. "There's nothing to tell-"

"DON'T YOU LIE TO ME, DAMMIT!" I screeched. I was just...just so angry. I've learned about so many secrets in the past fifteen minutes than I had in a total of almost ten years. I was about to overload emotionally. "I want to know...Why...? Why did you lie to me all these years about Oka-sama?"

"It was for the best."

I shook my head, breathing in and out in an attempt to keep calm. "No, it most certainly isn't. Everything that's been happening to me...these nightmares...they all have something to do with Oka-sama, so what is it?"

Makoto shook her head. "I can't tell you. I don't know anything."

"Bullshit!" I tightened my grip on Makoto's arm, not in the mood for this. "Tell me the truth dammit!" My breathing became more and more uncontrolled. "It hurts..." Suddenly I was trembling...I felt tears roll down the sides of my face. "...Every night it hurts. This pain. I keep reliving the same Hell over and over again every night and I don't know what it means! I keep seeing Oka-sama! I keep hearing my own screams, so much pain! And everything that's happening in my life! WHY THE FUCK WON'T YOU TELL ME THE TRUTH!?" I clutched the sides of my head, feeling a powerful pain in my head. I stared at Makoto...I couldn't help the tears in my eyes. "What...what's happening to me?"

Unable to take the stress anymore, my legs gave out, causing me to fall to my knees.

Makoto looked at me with sad eyes, reaching out a hand. "Shirou-"

"DON'T TOUCH ME, YOU BITCH!" I smacked her hand away. Everything burned. Everything hurt.

Why does everything hurt so badly?! Why am I so angry?!

Makoto narrowed her eyes. "I'm still your Onee-sama, Shirou! Watch your mouth!"

"Well I wish you weren't!" I said the words before I could even think about them. "I wish you weren't my Onee-sama! I wish I never met you! I...I hate you!"

Makoto looked as if I had slapped her. She lowered her head, hiding her eyes from me. For a moment, the sane part of my mind thought this was the end. That Makoto was going to murder me for the large amount of disrespect I showed her.

There was a silence lasting 1...then 5...then 10 minutes.

"OK..." I couldn't help but notice a slight crack in her voice. "I...I'll stay out of your way then...I am sorry for being born." Without another word, Makoto turned around and walked past me, right out the kitchen door and to who-knows-where. For a brief moment before she turned away, I thought I saw a lone tear roll down the side of Makoto's face. It was who was standing outside the door that made me pause.

Asia stared at me with shock, sadness, and worry in her eyes. "Shirou-san..."

"Master..." Sakura said, perhaps having no idea what else she should say.

I realized they saw me and heard everything I just said. "I...I need some air..."

Without waiting for a response, I ran past them and out the front door...

Then I just started running. I just wanted to run. Run away from everything.

To run away from all this pain and anger...

Just what's happening to me?

* * *

****Later...****

I eventually got tired and realized it was getting dark outside. I had no choice but to go home.

I was surprised by how I was greeted.

"I'm so glad you're safe!" Buchou suddenly ran up and wrapped her arms around me, hugging me tightly. "I was so worried when Asia told me you ran out!" She buried her face into my chest.

"Shirou-san!"

"Master!"

Sakura and Asia also came running up to the front door, relief clear on their face.

"Aaah, Shirou. I'm glad… If something were to happen to you and Asia, I… After the normal club activity I was called in by Sona and was listening to the story about people related to the Church intruding the town. And I also heard that they have a Holy Sword with them."

I couldn't help but note how Buchou spoke about a Holy Sword.

That must've been the threatening power I sensed around Irina and Xenovia-san.

Buchou hugged me tighter. "I thought that the worst might have happened to my cute servant. I prepared for the worst scenario...If I were to bid farewell to you after we had an argument, then I would have regretted it till death. I'm sorry. I-"

I hugged Buchou back. "I'm sorry too, Buchou...I made you mad at me...and..."

I saw my vision go blurry. This was it...I used up what little energy I had and...

The world went black.

* * *

****Asia's POV...****

Buchou-san and I became incredibly panicked when Shirou-san suddenly collapsed like that.

For a brief moment, we feared that the two Exorcists from earlier had done something to him before Sakura-san checked and informed us that he was just asleep.

From what Sakura informed us after checking on Shirou-san's condition, he had passed out due to exhaustion. She said that Shirou-san probably hadn't been sleeping for more than three hours at a time. Maybe even less!

Buchou was initially disbelieving, but I had no choice but to tell her about what happened between Shirou-san and Mako-nee earlier, emphasizing the part about his nightmares over the actual argument between the two. Just thinking about how angry Shirou-san was made me feel a little scared.

And...I'm not sure, but I think I saw Mako-nee crying...

So me, Buchou-san, and Sakura-san helped carry Shirou-san to his bed. We wanted to make sure he got some sleep. In order to make sure he was able to get some sleep, we decided to take turns staying up, ready to comfort Shirou-san should his nightmares wake him. Above all else, we had to keep close to him. Sakura-san said that as long as we kept contact with Shirou-san, he would still feel us near him. He had been suffering so much and none of us noticed.

Eventually it was my turn to keep watch over Shirou-san. He started sweating profusely in his sleep and I thought that I should place a cold, wet rag over his forehead. It might help keep him cool and maybe reduce the intensity of his nightmare.

Shirou-san was always helping everyone else so it was my turn to help HIM.

I ran out the room and started running down the hallway, coming back from the kitchen carrying a bucket of cold water with a rag in it.

But then I tripped.

The bucket went flying and spilled all of the water onto the ground.

I groaned to myself, rubbing my aching face and sighing at all of the water I spilled onto the floor.

"Mako-nee's going to be-"

"Ahhhh..." A voice moaned. "...S-Shirou..."

I blinked. "Huh...Mako-nee?" I heard the noise coming from Mako-nee's room. The door was open just a crack.

"...S-Shirou...I'm such a failure of an Onee-sama..." She was moaning louder and louder as time passed.

Eh? Was Shirou-san in there?

"...Aaaaah!" Mako-nee's moans were at their loudest and I was starting to feel worried. Did...Did Shirou-san wake up to hurt Mako-nee?!

Worried, I tiptoed closer and closer to Mako-nee's door.

I tried peeking through the crack between her door and the door frame, but I couldn't see anything.

More curious, I opened the door a bit more, just enough for me to stick my head in and-

"WHO'S THERE?!"

I felt something hit my head and I fell down.

"Oh shit! I'm so sorry, Asia-chan!"

Then everything went dark.

* * *

"...sia...Asia...Oh crap, please tell me you aren't dead."

I groaned a little as I finally came to. My eyes slowly slid open and I saw the worried face of Mako-nee looking down at me.

I noticed a light blush on her face despite her worry.

"Mako-nee...what happened...?

Mako-nee suddenly gained a blank expression. "You came in and...you tripped. You saw nothing and you tripped on the carpet and knocked yourself out." I couldn't help but notice a strange tone in her voice. It was a mix of shame and embarrassment. She was dressed in nothing but a pink, lacy bra and panties.

I looked around Mako-nee's room. "I heard you calling out to Shirou-san...Is he here?"

"You heard me?!" Mako-nee suddenly asked with alarm.

I was more focused on Mako-nee's room. It had been slow at first, but I've been noticing a lot of pictures on the wall. Each and every one of them were of...Shirou-san?!

Pictures and pictures everywhere. All of them of the white-haired boy who I...uh...I really liked being around. Some were recent with Shirou-san trying to push away the camera or of Mako-nee playing around with Shirou-san, trying to force him to take a picture apparently. There were also many pictures of Shirou-san...

Little Shirou from childhood, little Shirou from childhood, little Shirou from chil-No! I have to stay focused!...and maybe ask Mako-nee for copies later.

It was...weird. That was the only word I could use to describe it.

"Um...you really like to take a lot of pictures, Mako-nee..." I turned back to Mako-nee and was surprised to see tears rolling down the sides of her face and a pained look of shame on her face. I noticed her hand gripping something tightly in her palm.

For some reason, I had no doubt it was another photo of Shirou-san.

I was slowly piecing the puzzle together in my mind. I felt like...there was a pattern and...

"I'm such a disgusting Onee-sama..." Mako-nee fell to all fours on her bed, more and more tears rolling down the sides of her face. "...Shirou's right. I don't deserve to be his Onee-sama...so filthy and disgusting...a true failure...It hurts..." She covered her face, as if trying to hide her shame. She placed a hand over her heart.

And finally all of the pieces were coming together in my mind. It all fit together perfectly.

I gasped, covering my mouth upon my realization.

Mako-nee...she...she's not crying because she was rejected by her little brother. She...she was crying because she was rejected by the boy she LOVES!

Is this what Shirou-san calls a Brother Complex?! I always questioned the behavior of female siblings in certain manga and now I understand it!

Mako-nee was in love with Shirou-san!

I...I understand now.

I slowly edged my way closer to Mako-nee, tapping her on her shoulder. "Mako-nee..."

She looked up at me, still crying. "...what's wrong with me, Asia...?" She sounded so sad and broken...

Now that she was sitting up, I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her. "It's okay, Mako-nee..."

I wanted Mako-nee to stop crying. I didn't find her disgusting. I found her to be suffering due to the cursed fate of falling in love with someone whom she knows she is forbidden to love. The one person she loves being the one person she can never touch. It was so tragic...

Mako-nee returned my embrace and continued crying. "I'm sorry...I'm sorry...I'm sorry..." It didn't sound like she was speaking to me, but rather to a person who wasn't there.

"Mako-nee, there's nothing wrong with how you feel..." I assured her, trying to help her in some way like I thought Shirou-san would if he wasn't angry with Mako-nee.

"B-But...I'm his Onee-sama...I'm supposed to protect him...not love him..." Mako-nee continued to choke on her sobs, more self-loathing filling her voice.

I held Onee-sama's hands and smiled at her. "But it's not wrong to love someone like Shirou-san. He's a really great person. You're not a failure. Even if Shirou-san said such things...do you truly think he hates you, the person whom has been with him for most of his life?"

Mako-nee considered this...

"...I...I don't know...Asia..." Mako-nee seemed to hesitate about something. "I AM keeping secrets from him..." My eyes widened. S-So Mako-nee DOES know what's going on with Shirou-san?! "But they're things I swore never to speak of until the time was right..."

I frowned, uncertain. "W-What do you mean?"

Mako-nee shook her head. "I-I can't talk about them. I promised I wouldn't...but...I do love Shirou...I just wanted to protect him...I KNOW you two are Reincarnated Devils. I know Rias is the heir of the Gremory clan."

I opened my mouth to say something when my mind processed what Mako-nee just told me.

I was about to scream from shock when Mako-nee clamped her hands over my mouth.

"SSSSSHHHH!" Mako-nee hissed. "I told you it was secret!"

"Y-You know?!"

"Long story that I can't tell right now!...Asia...you know I do care about Shirou, right?" Mako-nee sounded sad again. I knew what I said next could either fix things or make her cry again...

I don't want Mako-nee to cry again. Like Shirou-san, I don't want any of my friends and loved ones to cry. I want them all to be able to smile.

"Yes. If I believe anything, I believe that you love Shirou-san. Whether romantically or platonically does not matter. You DO care about Shirou-san."

Mako-nee brushed my hands with hers. "Then pleeeeaaase understand. What he's going through right now...I cannot interfere. Even if it hurts me in every single way to do nothing, I cannot interfere with him. Not now."

I couldn't figure out the meaning behind Mako-nee's words...but I believed them.

"I...I think I understand, Mako-nee."

"Then can you promise not to tell Shirou about any of what I've said here...I'd rather have him hate me than to put him in danger." She looked sad again. I gave her another hug.

"I promise, but...Mako-nee, Shirou-san doesn't hate you. He's just really scared right now. But...You don't have to worry. Buchou-san, Sakura-san, me, and all of our friends will be looking after him." I assured her. "So you don't have to worry about him. Just remember that he's still your little brother and he'll always love you even if he doesn't return your feelings."

Mako-nee's smile finally returned to her face. "Alright. I'll be depending on Rias Gremory and her servants to protect him then." She turned to me. Auuu! I'm so happy you're smiling again, Mako-nee! "You know, Asia. Between you and Iri-chan, I'd think I prefer you won-" Mako-nee then clamped her hands over her mouth, as if preventing herself from making a slip.

I cocked my head sideways, confused. "Won what?"

Mako-nee waved her hands defensively. "N-Nothing! J-Just one of those secrets I told you about, hahahaha!"

I frowned, but accepted Mako-nee's response. "One more thing, Mako-nee..."

"Yeah?"

"When I came in here, you were moaning Shirou-san's name...What were you doing...?"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Shouldn't you be going to bed, Asia?"

"Ah! I forgot about Shirou-san! G-Goodnight, Mako-nee!" I immediately ran out of Mako-nee's room, having to get another bucket of water so I could keep the poorly sleeping Shirou-san cool!

I could've sworn I heard Mako-nee sigh from relief when I ran out of her room.

But I still couldn't help but wonder what Mako-nee meant...

What secrets was she keeping from Shirou-san?

****On that note, I am done! I hope you've all enjoyed!...Yeah...I've been planning that last section ever since I started this story...it's a hint for a huge plot device...not the fact that Makoto is a brocon, but the whole 'secret' thing. Personally, I found that last joke fairly humorous and...****

****Nope. That's about it!****

****I think I'll work on the next chapter of Son of Sitri after this. It's been a while since I worked on that. I really should get back to that.****

****Thanks for the reads and reviews~!****

****Bye-Bye~!****


	18. Chapter 17: The Holy Swords

****And we start to seriously get into things here! I'm glad that I managed to get this far into the story. Already halfway through volume 3~!****

****Also, I have a new DxD story in the works...You all know how everyone inserts OC's with powers, a special bloodline, or a Sacred Gear, but what if-stay with me here-what IF the person reincarnated as a Devil was...AN ORDINARY GUY!? DUN DUN DUUUUUUUUNNN! I mean, there aren't too many stories where an OC with no peculiar power is reincarnated as a Devil...I cannot pull this story off since an ordinary guy has nothing to contribute and he has no past trauma to overcome...****

****Let me know if any of you want to hear more about this.****

****But I did have another idea that might work...it has a Nekomata protagonist...O.O...****

****Another thing, just finished Volume 11 of the light novels and I cried. Not gonna lie. I cried a little. NOOOOO! WHYYYYYYY-JK. I know that it gets better in Volume 12. I knew it was coming for a while cos I spoiled Vol. 11's ending. That's why it took me so long to get to it.****

****One more thing: I know some of you are disappointed cos that OC Profile page I posted made it seem like there was a new chapter. I am sorry about that.****

****Disclaimer: I own nothing except OC's.****

****Chapter 17:****

****The Holy Swords****

I woke up, shocked. I stared at my open hands before me.

"The dream..."

"Nnnnn..." I heard a voice next to me groan. I looked to my right expecting Asia or Buchou but was surprised to see neither present. I know I heard groan, but-

"Nnnnn..." I then looked down.

"Hn?" I frowned. Then my face lit up red. Laying down with her head in my lap, fast asleep, was Asia! "E-EH!?"

From the way she was drooling, even with a blanket separating us, it looked like such a misleading position.

Feeling embarrassed, I gently nudged Asia's head with my hand. I wanted to move her head just a little bit. Just enough to move her from the position. But Asia only stirred slightly in her sleep. I resisted the urge to swear mentally.

I wanted her to move, but I didn't want to be rude and interrupt her sleep.

I tried to see if I could carefully crawl backwards but ended up failing when my hand ended up grasping something firmly. Something soft like marshmallows and the color of Buchou's body...

"EEEEEEHHH!?" I screamed. My face started burning when I realized I was groping Buchou's glorious oppai.

Buchou let out a slight squeak after my shock caused me to give her breast a quick squeeze.

"Mmmmm...Master..." Something moved under my sheets. Still blushing, I lifted up the end of the blanket to see Sakura laying her head against my chest, drooling just like Asia. I couldn't help but notice the strange expression and redness on her face.

And that was it.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHHH!" I jumped so badly that Sakura and Asia slipped off of me, Sakura hitting the bed and Asia hitting the floor with a loud thump. Buchou woke up with a jump as well because of my screams.

"Master!"

"Shirou!"

"Shirou-san!...Owwww..."

I sighed a little, an apologetic on my expression. "Sorry, Asia."

The former nun rubbed her aching head, nodding. "It's okay..."

"How do you feel, Shirou?" Buchou asked, her face filled with concern.

I frowned, rubbing my eyes. I then realized I didn't recall going to bed yesterday.

"What...what happened? I...I remember coming home last night and-" I was interrupted when Buchou wrapped her arms around me tightly, embracing me. I tried to ignore the fact I could feel her bare breasts against my body. I succeeded only because I was confused.

"I was so worried...When you passed out..." I couldn't see her face because it was buried into my chest, but I could've sworn Buchou was suppressing tears. I focused and I just barely managed to remember the events that transpired shortly before I fell unconscious. I hugged Buchou before passing out and...

"Are you alright, Master?" Sakura asked with a worried expression. "Did...Did the nightmare occur again?"

I then realized that they all knew by this point so there was no point in hiding it. I tried to recall last night's dream...

I closed my eyes after a few minutes had passed. "No. Well...I don't know...It was kind of overwhelming..."

My dream last night was rather fragmented. It wasn't like the longer nightmare where everything was burning in blue flames. It...It was bits and pieces of different scenes. Not just the nightmare, but other things. It all went by too fast to understand, so I couldn't quite tell what I saw...but every now and then, I saw the vague image of a woman...a woman with white hair. Not Mako-nee, I could tell that much...

I thought it was my mother.

That is what I told the three girls who listened attentively.

"...But it wasn't necessarily a nightmare. It was almost like I was re-experiencing memories..." I thought about what I said. "...Well, more like those memories were thrown into a blender, shredded to pieces, and then stuck back together in random places with tape." I stretched my arms.

"Were you finally able to get some sleep, Shirou-san?" Asia asked, pulling herself off of the floor.

I then realized something.

The exhaustion. The feeling I could drop dead any second. It was all gone.

I smiled, relieved. "Yeah." There was a collective sigh of relief.

"That is good." Buchou stated.

I bowed my head. "Sorry for worrying everyone."

"I'm just glad that those two Exorcists didn't hurt you, Shirou." Buchou said, finally letting go of me.

I rubbed the back of my neck. "There was really nothing to worry about, Buchou." I assured her. "Even if she's an Exorcist, Iri-chan wouldn't hurt me."

"'Iri-chan'?" Buchou asked in confusion, her eyes narrowing slightly.

I flinched as I realized my foolish mistake. "I-I mean Irina! IRINA would never hurt me."

Buchou turned to Sakura. "Sakura?"

"Apparently that twin-tail-wearing bi-I mean Exorcist was actually Master's old friend and he apparently has made some sort of promise to her."

Traitor.

Buchou turned back to me with a serious expression on her face. "What KIND of a promise?" I couldn't help but notice a certain edge.

I couldn't lie to her when she stared at me with such forceful eyes. "Erm...Not _a _promise. _THE_ promise." I hoped Buchou would understand and apparently she did from the way her thinking face when to one of realization.

"You mean SHE-?"

I nodded. Irina was the person who I swore to become stronger for. She was my promise girl. For that girl, I promised to become the strongest existence for her. So I could protect her and everyone I loved. That was what I promised.

For a moment, I thought Buchou was going to be mad at me, but she breathed in deeply before exhaling.

"I will let it go for now, but I want to talk about this later. Anyway, those two from the Church want to have a meeting with me about...I don't know what they want a meeting about. They only told Sona who met those two after we had lunch that they want to negotiate with me later."

"Well, if it's Irina, I don't think she has bad intentions. If she did, she would've struck both Asia and I down when our guards were down." I explained. Buchou was about to say something, but I continued. "That's not to say we should be throwing caution to the wind. I know they are still Exorcists after all."

"Yes, we do have to be careful. They said they promised God they wouldn't attack us."

I nodded. "Yeah. I also got a good vibe from that Xenovia chick. She doesn't seem bad for an Exorcist, but it'd be best if we refrain from provoking either of them. If they do try something, I'll definitely protect you-" I frowned.

Buchou's smile that appeared when I started my sentence quickly vanished. "What's wrong?"

I stared. "I...I'm sorry. But I just can't take anything about this situation seriously with these two in PJ's and you in the nude. Could you please get dressed?" I turned away, blushing slightly.

Buchou smiled again as did Sakura and Asia.

We all got dressed and prepared for the day, getting ready for the events to come.

* * *

****[Occult Research Clubroom]****

I didn't see Mako-nee when we left...I wasn't sure what to think.

I was angry at her for clearly keeping secrets from me...but maybe...maybe I went too far.

…

Anyway, after school that day, we, the members of the Gremory group (including our temporary Fallen Angel members), gathered in the clubroom. Buchou and Akeno-san sat on the sofa across from our guests. Even if they didn't mean us ill will at the moment, I couldn't help but feel on edge. It was my instincts as a Devil that was telling me they were dangerous. The atmosphere was uncomfortably serious and it didn't help that Kiba looked like he could go on a murderous rampage at any moment. I asked Buchou if I could K.O. him for the meeting, but that idea was frowned upon.

Irina was the first to speak during this serious time. "Recently the Holy-swords Excaliburs that were kept by the Catholic Church Headquarter Vatican, Protestant Church, and Eastern Orthodox Church were stolen."

I frowned. "Eh? But...how can a single sword be stolen from several different locations? Does their security suck that badly?" Irina frowned. Ah. Bad joke. No insults to the Church then. I smiled apologetically. "Eh...I'm kind of new at this, so how bout an explanation?"

"Ah. That's fair, Shi-chan." Oh thank Maou. She forgave me so quickly. "Shi-chan, Excalibur broke in the war a long time ago."

So Excalibur broke. Shattered into a million pieces. There goes Kiba's reve-

"It now looks like this." Xenovia then held out a long sword. It was wrapped in cloth, but I sensed great power from it. "This is Excalibur." There was no doubt in my mind she was telling the truth.

I felt a chill go down my spine. I had no doubt that if I got cut by that, I would be reduced to dust. I felt an exciting rush from the mix of fear and awe. The desire to face that sword. But I quickly shoved that desire to the back of my mind. Now was hardly the time or the place.

The atmosphere around us was heavy enough.

"Excalibur was broken into pieces during the war a long time ago. The fragments were collected and turned into a new form by alchemy. It was made into 7 swords. This is one of them." Xenovia continued as we stared at the Holy Sword. I could easily tell my own Holy Swords were nothing compared to that.

"The Excalibur I hold is "Excalibur Destruction". It's one of the 7 holy-swords that were created. The Catholic Church is in control of it." Even if it was a fragment of the original, it held terrifying power.

Irina took something that looked like a rope. It started to move as if it was alive. It quickly changed into the form of a katana.

"Mine is "Excalibur Mimic". I can change its shape into anything I want so it's really useful for carrying around. Just like this, each "Excalibur" has its unique ability. This one is in the possession of the Protestant Church." My childhood crush spoke without fear. Even if "Excalibur Mimic" didn't have as much of a badass ring as "Excalibur Destruction", I could still sense the power from it.

"Irina…" Xenovia interrupted with a warning tone. "There's no reason to tell these Devils the ability of Excalibur, is there?"

"Ara Xenovia." Irina easily waved her off. "Even if they are devils we still have to form a trustworthy relationship with them in this situation. Also, even if my sword's ability is revealed, I won't fall behind all the Devils here." Then a strange smile appeared on her face and her gaze became directed towards the ground. A light pink appeared on her face. "Besides, Shi-chan would protect me."

I smiled to myself, crossing my arms. "Of course. I did promise after all." I felt my own face become tinged pink.

I then froze upon sensing a powerful killing intent in the air. No...it was MULTIPLE killing intents combining into one. A combined killing intent tha could rival my own at its best.

I noticed Buchou, Asia, Kalawarner, and Sakura staring (maybe glaring?) at me intently.

"Shirou..." Buchou started. "...what EXACTLY is your relationship with her...?"

I scratched my cheek, averting my gaze. "Well...we're...I mean we're just-" I was going to just say we were childhood friends, doing my best to hide my crush on Irina, but then Irina said something shocking.

"We're engaged."

There was along silence following that statement.

I chuckled awkwardly. "Irina, that's not a nice joke to tell. I mean, even I thought you were serious for a moment. You always did have a strange sense of humor, hehehe."

"I am."

I blinked. "Am what?"

Irina smiled brightly. "I am serious. We're engaged."

We all stared at Irina for several seconds.

[WHAAAAAAAAAT!? E-E-ENGAAAAGED?!]

Everyone in the room, even me, Kiba, and that Xenovia chick, had such a shocked response to that.

I was the first to break free from the shocked silence that followed our outburst.

"W-What do you mean we're ENGAGED, Irina?" I wasn't sure whether or not to feel happy. The statement "Irina and I are engaged" made me feel so many conflicting feelings inside. "When did that happen?!"

Irina's face turned a clearer red color at that moment. "Well, it was an agreement drawn up by my parents and your Oka-sama." She then pulled out a small charm. It was like my adorable Devi-chan charm that Makoto gave to me. But the difference was that while my charm was that of a Devil, Irina's was a white charm with a smiley face, angelic wings, and a halo on its head. "We both made a promise on the charms Mako-nee gave us, remember? We promised we would be together someday, remember?" Irina smiled at her charm. "Angel-kun remembers."

I blinked. "Eh?" I remembered...I remembered that Mako-nee also gave Irina a charm similar to mine called "Angel-kun"...but I thought it was some sort of friendship ritual!

DAMN IT, MAKOTOOOOOOO!

"You also made a promise to me personally, Shirou." Irina said. She was smiling still. "Remember? You were crying when you found out I had to leave, but you made the following promise: 'I'm going to get real strong someday, Irina. I promise to protect you and all of the people precious to me. I swear I'll surpass the powers of Heaven and Hell themselves. I'll become strong enough to beat Satan or even God himself. When I become stronger, I swear I shall marry you.'" She placed her hands on her chest. "While it was blasphemous towards my God for you to swear to surpass him, it was one of the most romantic things I would ever hear in my entire life."

Eh...? I really said I would marry her?! When did I...Ah...

When I looked back on it-I mean REALLY looked back on it-I MAAAAY have sworn something like I'd marry her or something...Give me a break, it was a promise from CHILDHOOD! Of course some of the details were bound to end up being somewhat forgotten!

I found myself blushing somewhat. "The most romantic thing, huh...?" I felt rather happy...the girl I had loved for a long time thought I was romantic...

Then that familiar killing intent reappeared.

"...Why are you smiling so much, Master...?"

"Shirou-san is truly engaged..."

"...So what exactly is going on, Shirou?"

Buchou didn't say anything to follow Sakura, Asia, or Kalawarner. She just stared at me with such a dark expression. She got up, walked over to me, and whispered in my ear:

"We ARE going to talk about this later." She then went to go sit back down.

I swallowed hard, my face beoming pale. I was in DEEP shit later.

"Ara, are you getting sick, Shi-chan?" Irina asked with mild concern. It looked like Xenovia was still in shock at Irina's announcement cos she looked as if she lost the ability to speak. But it looked like she was starting to recover though.

I shook my head silently before Buchou started to speak again. "…So what do the stolen Excaliburs have to do with this country located in the east of the world?"

Xenovia was the one who answered. "The Catholic Church was in possession of two Excaliburs including mine. The Protestant Church also had two. Also in the Eastern Orthodox Church there were two as well. The last one went missing in the previous war between God, Devils, and Fallen Angels. One Excalibur was stolen from each Church. The ones that stole them escaped to Japan and brought them to this town."

So that means there are even more Excaliburs in town...

Buchou sighed. "Looks like my territory is full of incidents. So who are the ones that stole the Excaliburs?"

"The ones that stole them were the Grigori."

Kalawarner, Mittelt, Yuuma, and Dohnaseek all had a shocked expression at that statement.

"That can't be true!" Kalawarner shouted in response. "Azazel-sama would never authorize such an act!"

"Don't insult us, Exorcist!"

"You have helluva lot of nerve accusing our group of such a reckless act!"

"We would never do such a clear act that would jeapordize the peace!"

Dohnaseek, Mittelt, and Yuuma all added their own thoughts on the matter.

Xenovia narrowed her eyes, preparing to bring back out her Excalibur Destruction. "I have tolerated your presences here, but I won't hesitate to cut you down."

I quickly stepped in, trying to calm down both sides who were clearly itching for a fight.

"Hold on! All of you!" I was ready to intervene in case they tried to come to blows. They glared at one another, but Xenovia lowered her weapon and the Fallen Angels stepped back. I let out a sigh of relief. I turned towards Irina. "Now are you SURE it was the Grigori who did this?"

Irina nodded. "Yes. We know the main culprit involved with the theft of the Excaliburs. One of the leaders of the Grigori, Kokabiel."

The atmosphere of the room became even colder than it had been before.

"Kokabiel..." I uttered the name with complete distaste.

Kalawarner crossed her arms, her hostility beginning to change targets. "It was only natural that he would attempt something else..."

Buchou also crossed her arms, a very unhappy expression on her face.

I spoke up again. "OK, it looks like you guys got the wrong idea. Kokabiel is actually a lying bastard who is under investigation by the Grigori at the moment. If you came here under the misconception that we are working with him because of our Fallen Angel friends who are here, then you can forget it." It all made sense why they were here. They, people of the Church, would never ask for help from us, Devils. So that couldn't be the reason.

I noticed Xenovia's hostility become directed towards ME. "What exactly is your relationship with the Fallen Angels?" This sounded suspiciously like an interrogation.

I scratched my head. "To summarize how I know about Kokabiel in one sentence: He lied, I died, and now these four are staying with us until they and their boss can finish investigating Kokabiel who acted without permission." I sighed. "So yeah. Suffice to say, I don't like the guy."

Xenovia frowned.

Buchou explained. "He lied about having authorization from the Fallen Angel Governor and convinced our new and temporary members to kill Shirou and perform other unauthorized actions."

The four mentioned Fallen Angels seemed embarrassed more than anything.

"Yeah...Not our best moment..." Dohnaseek admitted nervously.

"So the Fallen Angel Kokabiel was the reason for Shirou becoming a Devil..." Irina noted. I sensed a strange feeling coming from her. Whatever it was, she certainly wasn't happy with Kokabiel.

Xenovia considered everything we have said thus far. "Very well. For now we will accept the claim that Fallen Angel Kokabiel has become a rogue." From her tone, it sounded more like she said 'OK, we'll accept this 'supposed' claim that you Devils aren't working with him even though I doubt it's true'. I didn't like her very much. "The higher-ups don't trust Devils and Fallen Angels. We were ordered as [If the holy-swords are taken away from God's side then the devils would also be happy right? The fallen-angels would also profit from it. For those reasons it won't be weird for them to form an alliance.] That's why we are giving you a warning. If you form an alliance with the Fallen Angel Kokabiel then we will eliminate you all. Even if you're the little sister of the Maou."

I felt annoyed by her casual tone.

Buchou continued to glare at Xenovia. "…If you know that I am the sister of a Maou, then it means that you have lots of connections with the higher-ups in the Church. Then I will say it. We will not form an alliance with the Fallen Angel Kokabiel. Never. In the name of the Gremory house. I will not do something that would tarnish the name of our Maou!"

Xenovia laughed a little. "Hearing that is good enough. I had to warn you just in case that Kokabiel is hiding himself in this town along with the three Excaliburs. If something were to happen I would be the one to be hated by the bunch in the Church headquarters. Well, we won't ask for cooperation. If you were to form an alliance with God's side temporarily, then it would affect the balance of the three factions. Especially if it's the little sister of a Maou."

Buchou took a breath, her expression softening. "Where is the person the Orthodox Church dispatched?"

"They have that person put on hold for this case." Xenovia answered. "They are planning to protect the last Excalibur if Irina and I fail."

"So it's just the two of you?" Buchou asked in amazement. "You are going to retrieve the Excaliburs from a leader of the Fallen Angels with just the two of you? How reckless. Are you trying to die?"

Irina and Xenovia both had straight expressions

"Yes."

"I have the same view as Irina, but if it's possible I don't want to die."

"…You came here to Japan prepared to die?" Buchou asked rhetorically. "The belief in your teaching is extreme like always."

"Don't talk ill of our beliefs, Rias Gremory." Irina stated with a serious expresion. "Right, Xenovia?"

The other Exorcist nodded. "Right. Also the Church decided that it would be better to eliminate all of the Excaliburs rather than letting them get used by the Fallen Angels. Our minimum objective is to get the Excaliburs away from the Fallen Angels. To accomplish that, it's okay for us to die. The only way to fight against the Excaliburs are Excaliburs."

I stared in shock. "W-What? What is with you two? You can't be serious, Irina." These thoughts...it was like they didn't care either way. Just as long as they served the Church and God...

Irina spoke with powerful conviction...but she was smiling too. "Shi-chan, it's okay. As long as I can complete this mission, it is okay."

"NO, no it's not!" I argued. "For you to die foolishly like that is something I can't accept!"

Irina shook her head, apparently refusing to hear anything else form me. I stared sadly.

"Irina..." Have things really changed this much?...No. Regardless if these are her thoughts, I won't accept it!

Buchou continued speaking to Xenovia. "Is it possible with only the two of you?"

"We won't die in vain." Xenovia replied fearlessly.

"You seem confident. Do you have a secret weapon?"

"Maybe. I will leave it to your imagination." How mysterious.

There was a small silence between Buchou and Xenovia before Xenovia spoke again.

"Then we will take our leave. Let's go, Irina."

Irina nodded. She stood up to leave, turning to me once. "Sorry, Shi-chan..."

I continued staring sadly. "Irina...just be careful...Please?" Irina smiled at my soft expression and nodded. She started following after Xenovia.

I thought that would be the end of this meeting, but then they both stopped, turning to Irina.

"When I saw you in Fujimura Shirou's house I thought that maybe it was you. Are you the "Witch" Asia Argento? I never expected to meet you in a place like this." Xenovia said.

Asia started to shake a little at the word "witch". I glared at Xenovia.

Irina seemed to notice this. "Are you the rumored "witch"? The former holy-maiden? You are said to have the power that can also heal Devils and Fallen Angels, right? I heard that you were sent somewhere after getting exiled, but I never thought you became a Devil."

"...Ummmmm...I...I..." Asia didn't seem to know how to react.

"It's okay." Irina continued. "I won't tell the higher ups what I saw here, so rest assured. People who were around the "Holy-maiden Asia" will also get shocked as well."

"But to become a Devil. The one who was called a "Holy-maiden". You fell to the lowest place you could. Do you still believe in our God?" Xenovia asked. This girl was SERIOUSLY starting to piss me off.

"Xenovia," Irina said. "there's no way that she, who became a Devil, still believes in God."

"No, I can smell the "belief" from her." Xenovia responded with sharp eyes. "It might be an abstract way of saying it. But I'm sensitive to these things. There are people who betray the teachings and still have guilt within them because they couldn't forget the teachings. I can feel something similar coming from her."

Irina stared at Asia with interest. "Is that true?" She asked the former nun. "Asia-san, you still believe in God even if you have turned into a devil?"

Asia gained a sad expression at that. "…I just can't put it aside. I believed in it for my whole life…"

Asia...you still believed in the horrible God...even after all of your trials and suffering, you believed in that being who failed to protect you...

Then Xenovia began to remove her sword from her cloth. "Is that so. Then you should be cut down by us this instant. If it's now, I can cut you in the name of God. Even if you have sin, our God will-"

She stopped when I lunged forward and grabbed her by the wrist, preventing her from getting any closer to Asia. I was glaring at her with absolute hatred..

"Don't you get any closer. Take one more step or try to hurt Asia and I will never forgive you."

Xenovia stared at me in surprise. "Why would you, the son of Miyako-sama, protect a witch like her? Even as a Devil, you must know that she-"

"Don't you DARE use my beloved Oka-sama to justify any of your actions!" I shouted at her. Now I was even angrier. "I know in my heart that, regardless of her faith, Oka-sama would NEVER agree to something like that!"

And I actually believed it. The Oka-sama that I recently started remembering...she was a good person. She would never allow Asia, even as a Devil, to be hurt by this girl. She also wouldn't be happy with me if I allowed her to come to harm.

"I will protect Asia. I'll protect her because she is a precious person to me who never did anybody any wrong. You know nothing of her pain! Nothing of the suffering she endured! All she wanted was to be loved!" I shouted.

"She had God's love," Xenovia defended. "That is all she should have needed. Do you think the "Holy-maiden" needed friends? What's important is the charity to others. The "Holy-maidens" are finished when they seek friendship and love from others. She could have continued to live with the love from God. So Asia Argento didn't have the right to be a "Holy-maiden" from the beginning."

I bit my tongue, resisting the urge to spew forth the number of curses I had in mind.

"OK, let me restate it this way: For the people who refused to defend her, for the God who abandoned her so easily, for her happiness, I will protect her with everything I have even if the price is my life!" I declared. "Asia is one the most important people in my life. It's bad enough you threatened my friends because they are Fallen Angels, but it's unforgivable for you to threaten Asia. Then I narrowed my eyes at her. "If you or anyone else even try to lay a finger on the people I love, I won't hesitate. I will kill you."

Xenovia sharpened her eyes at my provocation. "Is that a declaration to us…all of those in the Church? Something big and dangerou coming out from a single Devil. Gremory, I think you didn't educate him enough."

Buchou opened her mouth to say something but was cut off by Kiba who interrupted.

"That's good timing. I will be your opponent." Kiba was carrying a sword. I could literally SEE the amount of killing intent radiating off of him.

"Who are you?" Xenovia asked.

Kiba smirked. "I'm your senpai. Though I was apparently a failure." That instant a countless number of demonic-swords appeared in the club room.

* * *

And somehow the situation escalated into THIS apparently.

We were standing in the field where we practiced for the Ball Tournament. Kiba stood a bit away from me and the Exorcist girls stood across from us. Our surroundings were enveloped by a barrier made up of red aura with the others standing on the outside.

Xenovia wanted to test the servants of Gremory and now we were here. Irina and Xenovia both had their respective Excaliburs in sword form and unsheathed respectively. The two had also done away with their white robes, revealing tight, black battle wear. Whoever designed those outfits for people working for a CHURCH should be fired. Because if their outfits weren't erotic, then I didn't know the definition of the word.

"Even if it's just a match, be cautious of the Holy Swords!" Buchou warned.

I nodded. If I got wounded by either of those swords, it would be game over. There would be nothing left of me.

Kiba summoned more demonic swords around us and he was...laughing? Oh dear Maou, I think he's lost it.

"Um...Are you okay?" I asked, unsettled by the laughter he displayed before two serious opponents who could turn us to dust with one slash of their swords.

"I've never been better. The thing I wanted to defeat and destroy appeared right in front of me. I'm happy." He continued laughing in the cold way he was. "I had even heard that by being close to a Devil and a Dragon, "powers" would gather. But for me to encounter it this early..."

I gained a bitter frown. I remembered Ddraig saying something similar. It only reinforced the idea that this may have been my fault...

I sighed. There was no point thinking like that. Whatever happens, happens.

"…[Sword Birth], huh. The possessor can create any demonic-sword they imagine in their head. It's unique among the Demonic-sword related Sacred Gears… I heard that there was a "subject" that avoided from being disposed by the "Holy-sword Project"… Is that you?" Xenovia asked. Kiba didn't respond, but I could sense his killing intent increase.

Kiba, I don't mind you letting loose against Xenovia, but if I see you come anywhere near Iri-chan with that killing intent, I WILL kick your ass.

I then turned back to Irina.

"Shi-chan..." Irina started. She seemed hesitant, but determined. "When I met you and found out you had become a Devil, I was shocked." That makes two of us. Becoming a Devil wasn't what I expected in life. "It hurts me more to face you as we were not only so close when we were little but also because you are my betrothed. A harsh fate to lose Oka-sama and becoming a Devil."

"We don't have to fight Irina. We're friends, aren't we? We're even engaged!" I really didn't want to fight Irina.

Irina hung her head, apparently sad about something. "Yeah...friends..." Then she readied her sword. "I'm sorry, but I will fight."

I sighed. "Fine. I will fight as well." I raised my left arm. "Blade Genesis!" The red cloth Sacred Gear appeared around my arm.

Both Irina and Xenovia appeared to be shocked by my Sacred Gear.

"...Longinus."

"Is that [Boosted Gear]? I never thought that I would meet the person possessed by the Welsh Dragon in a far eastern country like this…and evolved into such a form...I had heard rumors, but-"

"You will hurt yourself if your attention is on Shirou-kun!" Kiba attempted to slice Xenovia in two, but she raised her own sword in defense, managing to block Kiba's strike.

"Sacred Gear [Sword Rebirth] and the evolved [Boosted Gear]. And also the [Twilight Healing] that Asia Argento has. All of them are Sacred Gear that are said to be a heresy to us. Maybe it was natural for you to turn into a devil." Xenovia said, smirking.

And maybe it was natural for you to turn into a bitch.

"My power is also the power made by my comrades' hatred, who were killed while filled with regret!" Kiba declared. "I will beat those with Excalibur with this power, and I will destroy that Excalibur!"

Kiba...does your hatred run so deep?

"Here I come, Shi-chan!" Irina rushed at me, swinging her sword, but I managed to dodge her strikes.

I smirked. "Don't count me out!"

****[Reinforce!]****

I used a [Reinforcement] on my speed so I could better dodge Irina's attacks.

****[Reinforce!]****

That one was used on my physical strength.

I felt a slight drain, but my past training had made the use of my power less of a strain on my body.

I breathed in. "Kanshou! Bakuya!" I summoned the two swords and clashed them against Irina's. We separated and she swung several more times at me. I kept dodging to the left or right, ducking to avoid that last strike.

"Kick that bitch's ass, Master!" Sakura cheered. I couldn't help but wonder when she changed into her cheerlead-Dafuq?!

When I looked around, I saw that not only Sakura, but Kalawarner, Yuuma, Mittelt, and Asia had also dressed in cheerleading uniforms, the latter seeming slightly self-conscious about her short skirt.

Irina stared at me with teary eyes. "I'm not a bitch...am I, Shi-chan?"

I blinked, confused. "Er...No. No you are not. Don't worry. Sakura's just...complicated."

We returned to our battle positions and charged once more. I swung my sword over Irina's head as she moved to the side, delivering a kick to my stomach and knocking me backward.

Irina smiled as I rebalanced myself. "You've gotten a lot stronger, Shi-chan. You're a better swordsman than I thought." Really, I just improvised most of my moves, but it was good to know that I wasn't failing entirely when it came to swordplay.

"So a swordsman as well," Xenovia noticed. "Perhaps it's to be expected of the son of Miyako-sama, who was a woman of great skill. Even my master, despite being stronger, acknowledged her as a skilled fighter."

It was then that even if I remembered Oka-sama, I still had no idea who she really was...

"Now back to where we were! Burn! And freeze! [Flare Brand] and [Freeze Mist]!" Kiba summoned two swords and began swinging violently at Xenovia who dodged each and every one of them with minimal effort. It took one good look to tell that Kiba wasn't at the top of his game. His rage was dulling his skills.

Xenovia made a single swing with her Excalibur Destruction and shattered both of Kiba's blades easily.

"My sword is a mass of destruction. There's nothing it can't destroy." Xenovia slammed her sword into the ground, creating a powerful explosion.

I ended up losing my balance and fell to one knee. There were dust clouds everywhere and I had to cover my mouth with my sleeve to keep from inhaling the dust. When the dust cleared, I was shocked to see a humongous crater in the ground near where Xenovia was standing.

I was shocked.

So this is the power of Excalibur. Even just one fragment was already so powerful.

"Geez! I'm all covered in dirt because you destroyed the ground, Xenovia!" Irina complained, wiping the dirt off her clothes. She resumed a fighting stance. "But it's time to finish this now!"

I nodded seriously. "Let's. A finishing move!" I discarded Kanshou and Bakuya and summoned a normal katana to match Irina's. I charged towards her, ready to swing my sword. Irina charged towards me as well, swinging her sword with a strange hesitation.

She held no killing intent and clearly only wanted a shallow wound. Something that could be healed and shouldn't be lethal.

Irina still was a kind person. Even if I was a Devil, she afforded mercy on me.

At the last second, I summoned a second sword.

Then silence as we passed one another. Then a ripping sound and the sound of shattering metal.

I froze, raising my two katanas to eye level. Despite having been reinforced, one sword had over half of its blade broken off from Irina's strike and the other blade was badly cracked. I also felt a slight pain in my leg. Enough that I felt to one knee again. I looked down expecting a smoking cut, but instead I saw no clear wound. Perhaps I was just kicked or something...

"I have to admit, it was a close one, Shi-chan." Irina said cutely. She walked over to me and held out a hand. "But it looks like a certain fiancee didn't want to hurt their betrothed too badly~" I sighed until I noticed Irina had a small cut on the front of her battle suit. It was ripped, but there was no physical injury. I let out a sigh of relief. "Perhaps we should call this a draw."

I nodded, choosing to stand on my own. I realized what happened. At the last second, when her attack missed, Irina had kicked my leg to knock off my balance again. Of course, even if she hadn't, I wouldn't have injured her anyway. I used the blunt side of the sword so Irina wouldn't get hurt. If I had used the sharp end, I think I could have seriously hurt her. But in the end, we were both holding back, so it was anyone's guess who would have won if we fought seriously.

My sword copies or Irina's Excalibur fragment. It would forever remain a mystery which would have won.

I turned to see how Kiba was faring.

"The destructive power of that Holy Sword or the destructive power of my Demonic Sword! We will see which one is stronger!" I was surprised to see Kiba summoning a sword that was WAAAAAAY bigger than he was. He swung his blade down on Xenovia who sighed as she swung her Excalibur fragment against Kiba's sword.

Xenovia's sword easily overpowered his, holding a strange disappointment in her voice.

"Your weapon is the variety of the sword you can create and your speed. You would need a lot of strength to swing a gigantic sword like that, and you will lose the speed that you are proud of." Xenovia explained. "Are you seeking a destructive power? From your fighting style, it's something unnecessary. Don't you even know that?"

She then slammed the pommel of her sword deep into Kiba's stomach.

Kiba fell to the ground after he vomited.

"Even if it's not a hit with the blade, that hit just now will be enough to stop you from standing for a while." I stared. So every part of that weapon was dangerous. Xenovia glared at Kiba before turning around to leave.

Kiba reached out after her. "…Wa…wait!" He tried to get up, but it was obvious the match was over. Overall, it was the Gremory group's loss since the draw between Irina and I did not earn a point for either side. And since Xenovia clearly defeated Kiba, the Exorcists were technically the winners.

Akeno-san unsealed the barrier. The red aura that covered the area disappeared. The battle was over.

"Senpai, I suggest you fight with coolness the next time we fight." The blue-haired girl said to the Gremory [Knight]. "Rias Gremory, I trust you with the talk from earlier. Also, you should train your servants a bit more. There's a limit for polishing their battling style."

That was fair. I was good, but I was still a novice when it comes to actual sword skills.

Kiba glared at Xenovia with absolute hatred.

Then she turned to me. "I will tell you one thing. Vanishing dragon has already awakened." W-What? "You will meet him eventually, but in your current state you can never win."

"Just because you're strong doesn't mean you can just underestimate me like that!" I stated angrily.

Xenovia shook her head. "No. There are no doubts in my mind that I would lose as well. I am not underestimating, just stating simple facts." With that, she picked up her stuff and left.

So...it's not that she's underestimating me. She believes she can't win against him either. So that means this guy is stronger than I thought...I wanna fight him now more than ever.

Irina turned to me, smiling adorably. Before I could react, she wrapped her arms around me and hugged me tightly before letting go. "Despite so much time having passed, you're still the same Shi-chan deep down...I'm glad. Maybe when the circumstances allow it...until then, Shi-chan." With that confusing thought, Irina picked up her own stuff and followed after Xenovia. I saw her wink at me before she left my sight.

I sighed, releasing the Reinforcements on my body.

""Shirou-san/Master!"" Asia and Sakura both rushed over to me, Asia preparing to heal me but I waved them off.

"I'm fine. No need to worry." I assured them. "None of the injuries Irina inflicted were that bad."

Koneko-chan walked over to me and nodded. "...Maybe another Reinforcement would've allowed you to win."

I shrugged. "Well, I didn't use another one. I wasn't too serious about the battle with Irina and-"

"Hold on! Yuuto!" I turned to see Kiba trying to leave and an angry Buchou trying to stop him. "I won't forgive you if you leave me! You are the [Knight] of the Gremory group. I will also be troubled if you turn into an exiled. Wait this instant!" Kiba just kept walking.

"…I was able to run away from there, thanks to my comrades. That's why I have to put their regrets into my Demonic Swords…" Kiba then left.

"Hey! Kiba!" Before he could get away, I chased after him, following him outside. "Wait up!" I grabbed him by the shoulder and forced him to turn around to face me. He still had an angry expression on his face. "You're making Buchou and everyone so worried and that thing you just pulled only made it worse!"

"It's none of your concern." Kiba stated still somewhat angry from before.

"Kiba...just..." I wasn't sure what to say. My comrade who was usually all smiles had such anger inside him and I didn't know what to do.

Kiba was my friend. He stood by my side as we fought together. And here I was, unable to do a damn thing to stop him from walking to his own destruction. Whether or not he managed to destroy the Excaliburs, I had no doubt he would lose the person he was before.

I sighed. "Look, even if this whole 'Holy Sword revenge' thing has nothing to do with me, Buchou and the others are worried about you. I'm your friend and I'm...I'm worried about you, too." It felt embarrassing to say that to another guy, but it was how I felt. Kiba was my friend so it was only natural to feel worried.

Kiba scanned my expression, seeing my sincerity. His own expression softened a little.

"I won't involve you in this..." I think he meant to add "It's my problem." or something along that line, but Kiba just walked away without finishing that sentence. I wasn't even sure what the reason was. I suspected it was either just his stubbornness or because of my own Holy Swords.

I groaned. "Kiba...You can't just go do this on your own. You'll end up destroying yourself."

"As long as I destroy that Holy Sword as well, then I'll be satisfied." Then Kiba vanished from my sight.

I shook my head. Dumbass.

"Shirou!" I turned to see the girls catching up to me. Buchou had her hands on her hips, a different topic clearly on her mind.

She was upset enough due to the events concerning Kiba, but there was something else she wished to speak about.

"So...when exactly were you planning on telling us you were engaged?" Buchou asked, clearly unhappy.

I raised my hands in surrender. "Look. I didn't even know I WAS engaged until today." Not that I'm really complaining...

The killing intent from the girls didn't fade away.

Shit! Quick, Shirou! Think of an exit strategy!

I looked left and right, trying to find a way out of this. "Erm...W-Well it's not like it's legal anyway, you know!" I chuckled awkwardly, sweating. "Hahahahaha! I-I mean she's an Exorcist and I'm a Devil so it won't be allowed, right? The only way the engagement would ever be allowed would be if the Three Factions got together and made peace with each other and that's not likely to happen ever, hahahaha!"

They were still clearly pissed.

OK. Time for Plan B.

I pointed in the opposite direction. "What's that over there!?" It was the most disappointingly stupid plan ever, more-so because it somehow actually worked. The moment the girls had been distracted by the imaginary object I pointed at, I broke out into a sprint.

But even as I evaded the powerful killing intent of my comrades, I still thought about it...

* * *

**Later...**

It took me a few days, but I finally decided to take action. I ended up calling that Saji guy, my fellow [Pawn], to meet me in front of the train station.

"What was the reason for calling me?" He seemed very reluctant to show considering I decked him across the face last time we met, but he was 'convinced' when I casually mentioned bruising his cheek to match the other bruised one.

"…He's right." Koneko-chan agreed. "What were you trying to do?"

"Master has an amazing idea!" Sakura praised despite the idea I had being horribly simple.

"I-I know what he's about to say may sound crazy, but hear him out." YUUMA of all people defended. I don't know why, but Sakura and Yuuma had both followed me when I called Saji out. I explained to both of them what I was planning and they both seemed eager to help.

I'll admit I didn't hate Yuuma anymore. Still didn't feel like being best friends with her, but I'll admit I was actually starting to care about that Fallen Angel girl. She had grown on me after all the time she spent around us in the Occult Research Club.

I cleared my throat. "Thank you all for gathering here. Anyway, there is one reason and one reason only that I asked you guys to come."

"...Which is?" Koneko-chan asked.

I grinned. "I'm going to destroy Excalibur."

Koneko-chan and Saji's eyes became shocked circles.

**And I am done. I felt this ended up being a bit too canon, but there weren't many places to branch off here.**

**Once again, I apologize for disappointing people with that OC character sheet which made you think I had updated.**

**Oh yeah...still accepting suggestions for harem members or reasons for certain harem members...**

**Thanks for the reads and reviews~!**

**Bye-Bye~!**


	19. Chapter 18: Search and Destroy

****And time for the third story arc to get kicked into high gear! We're moving on to the point where stuff really starts to happens.****

****Disclaimer: I own nothing except OC's.****

****Chapter 18:****

****Search and Destroy****

"Nooooooooo! I'm going home!" Saji screamed, attempting to escape from this gathering. "Let me go, you bastard!"

He was screaming because I had him in a headlock, holding on real tight so he couldn't escape.

"No!" I shouted. "Cos the moment I do, you're gonna run to Kaichou and Buchou and rat me out! The results of that will NOT be pleasant for me!"

Saji screamed. "Of course it won't! You're doing something SO CRAZY behind their backs! Now let me go, you psycho!"

A vein popped up on my forehead while I grinned. "Well if you're just gonna rat me out, maybe I should snap your neck to silence you."

Then Saji started flailing yet again, screaming even louder.

I sighed. "Well, I'll get back to you on that." I looked to Koneko-chan. "So what do you say to this?"

Koneko-chan stared at me with what appeared to be appreciative eyes before nodding.

"...If it is to help Yuuto-senpai, then I will help." She replied.

"Rock on."

Sakura smiled. "Then that means there are five of us now. I'm glad that Master has more people to help him."

Saji once again tried breaking free. "'Five'!? Hold on! I never agreed to-MMPH!" Yuuma clamped her hand over his mouth, an annoyed expression on her face.

"How annoying."

I gave her a smile of approval. "Good job, Yuuma." She seemed surprised yet happy at the same time by my words, smiling with a slight pink on both of her cheeks.

"T-Thank you." Eh? The sudden change in personality was confusing, but of no real consequence.

I glared at Saji who still tried to break free. "You're gonna help us whether you like it or not!"

Saji ripped Yuuma's hand from his mouth, crying. "Why me!? I thought you hated me! It's your group's problem, right!? I belong to the House of Sitri! I shouldn't take part in this! Not at all!" I tightened my arms around Saji's neck, keeping him even more still.

"Well, you're the only one who I figured would help me. THAT and you're the only one I could easily threatened."

"THAT'S YOUR REASONING?!" Saji's sobs became even louder. "Bullshit! There's no way that I will help youuuu! I'm going to get killed! I'm going to get killed by Kaichouuuuu!"

Ah. It appeared his fear of Sona-kaichou was much larger than his fear of me.

"So between the two of us," I released a threatening killing intent. "who do you think you should fear more: me or Kaichou?"

It took Saji five seconds to answer. "OF COURSE I FEAR KAICHOU MORE! Your master, Rias-senpai, might be strict and kind! But you know what! You know Kaichou!? She's strict AND strict!"

Hm...well Buchou is somewhat strict, but she's usually the nicest and sweetest woman you would ever meet.

"Well, I guess she'll be pissed since you're officially a co-conspirator. After all, you DID know about it before and didn't report it until now." I said with a sneaky smirk.

"Ah! You lying bastard!" Saji screamed as he realized my lying blackmail.

I released Saji and let him drop to the ground, satisfied he wouldn't run off.

I turned to Koneko-chan, Yuuma, and Sakura.

"OK, so my thoughts on this are that Irina and Xenovia said they had to retrieve OR destroy them, you remember?"

[Yes.] They said in unison.

"So the idea is that if we help them retrieve them with Kiba, then they probably wouldn't mind if we destroyed one of the three Excaliburs." I turned to Sakura. "You think you can sniff out the Exorcist duo, Sakura?" Sakura nodded. I smiled and Sakura seemed to blush. "Good. I'm counting on you, Sakura."

Sakura then displayed another ability she told me about by not only transforming into her snake form but also shrinking down to a much smaller and more agile size. Apparently she can shrink to anything smaller than her normal size and back.

She's my cute, little familiar~!

I watched her slither away with incredible speed.

"Senpai...what is your REAL reason for wanting to destroy the Excaliburs?"

I didn't turn to face Koneko-chan or her intended accusation. I smiled to myself.

"What do you mean, Koneko-chan?" Yuuma asked.

"...Ever since learning about the Exorcists' reasoning, you've been different. Helping Yuuto-senpai isn't your only reason."

I laughed, a bit of bitterness in my voice. " Nothing gets past the great Koneko-sama, does it?" I scratched my cheek. "No. Helping Kiba isn't my only motive, I'll admit. I think I made up my mind to do this the moment Irina told me she expected to die, even if I hadn't realized it. Don't get me wrong, I really do want to help Kiba since he's my friend, but I'm also doing this for Irina. Both are important people I don't want to lose. So if I can, I'm going to protect everybody. NOBODY is going to die."

"...Is...Is this because you are in love with Shidou Irina, Shirou?" Yuuma asked.

I remained silent for several moments. "She is an Exorcist and I am a Devil. Such a romance is forbidden...but she's still my friend, so I will help protect her as I will Kiba. I will help both of them." But I didn't deny Yuuma's words. I sighed. "Oh right. Also, I couldn't tell Buchou or Akeno-san about this, so we'll be doing this without any other assistance. So that may make this even more difficult. Eh, you can go if you'd like, Koneko-chan. But if you do, knock Saji out so I at least have a good few hours to get done what I have to do."

Saji was still crying to himself.

"But on the off-chance the negotiations are a success and they DON'T try to exterminate us, I want you to help me."

"Uwaaaaaa! That's so irresponsible! I'll die! I'd definitely get killed!"

"Shut up, Saji! Nobody was talking to you!" I then turned back to Koneko-chan. "So what's your answer?"

"...Shirou-senpai's reasons aren't bad." Koneko-chan stared at me with eyes filled with strength. The same ones she had during our Rating Game against Riser. "...I won't run away. It's for our comrade. I don't feel much for the Exorcist girl, but it's not a bad thing for you to want to protect everyone."

I smiled at my kouhai. "Good to see you're on board with this."

That was when I heard Sakura speaking to me through our mysterious mental link.

"_I've found them, Master."_

I smiled to myself. _Good job, Sakura. Regroup with us and tonight, you can have a fourth serving at dinner._

"_YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY~!"_

Yeah. Despite being a good cook herself, Sakura really liked my cooking.

After that, we met up with Sakura and she easily led us to the two girls we were looking for.

Yuuma sweatdropped. "Yeah...I don't think it would've been that hard to look for them."

As Yuuma said, it wasn't too hard finding two religious women dressed in white robes saying stuff about religion.

"Please give blessings to the lost lamb!"

"Please give charity to us on behalf of the father in heaven!"

It was amazing how much they stuck out...but I have to admit that Irina looked kind of cute with her puppy dog eyes, begging strangers on the side of the street for money...

"How can this be? This is the reality of the developed country of Japan? That's why I don't like countries that don't have the smell of our beliefs." Xenovia complained.

Hey! Nobody's asking you to stay here!

"Don't say that, Xenovia. We lost all the money we had. So we have to rely on charity from these heretics or else we can't get food, you know? Aaah, we can't even buy a single loaf of bread!"

"Hmph. It all happened because you bought that fake looking painting."

Xenovia pointed to a painting next to them of what appeared to be a saint.

I wasn't even a Christian and even Icould tell that the painting was fake.

Poor, poor Irina. You were always a bit naive. But that was one of the things that made you so lovable.

"What are you saying? This painting has the drawing of someone who looks like a saint! That's what the person in the exhibition said as well!"

"Then do you know who the person in the drawing is? I certainly don't."

I wouldn't know either. I don't know any people other than names like Mary Magdalene and...nope. That's about it. I'm not much for Christianity.

"…I think it's…Saint…Peter…?" Irina...you are so cute yet so clueless to the world to the point you get scammed so easily.

"Don't mess around. Saint Peter wouldn't look like this."

"No, he must have looked like this! I'm sure about it!"

"Aaah, why did my partner have to be someone like you…God, is this also a trial?"

Irina seemed to get mad and pointed at Xenovia. "Hey don't hold your head down. You really get depressed when you are down, don't you."

"Shut up! That's why the Protestants are called heretics! You guys have different beliefs than us Catholics! Show more respect to the saints!"

"What! What's wrong, it is Catholicism where they still abide by the old law!"

"What did you say, heretic?"

"What did you say, heretic!?" They seemed to get louder by the minute, arguing while they started to bang their heads together.

Ooh~! Cat fight~! Part of me wanted to step in, but the other wanted to see where this went.

Even from where our group stood, we could hear the rumbling stomachs of the two Exorcists.

The two of them dropped to the ground due to their hunger.

"…First of all, let's do something to fill our stomachs. Or else it's not a matter of retrieving the Excaliburs."

"…You are right. Do you want to get money from the heretics by threatening them? I think God will forgive us if we threaten the heretics."

"Do you plan to attack the shrine? Or do you plan to steal their offertory box? Don't do either. Let's use our swords to put on a performance. It's an international entertainment that works in every country."

A...performance? That's Xenovia's idea?

"That's an excellent idea! If we can cut fruits with our Excaliburs, then we can gather cash!"

"Well, we don't have fruits. It can't be helped. Let's cut that picture."

"No! You can't cut this down!" Irina was shouting at Xenovia who held the painting and was about to do something until Irina's eyes landed on me. They widened and I admit I tensed a little when she leaped at me, expecting some sort of attack.

Then she latched onto me, staring at me with big, puppy dog eyes. "Shi-chan, please save me from this hunger! Surely God will allow my husband-to-be to save me even if you are a Devil!"

I chuckled awkwardly, mostly because she mentioned that "husband-to-be" thing...

I tensed slightly as I felt two powerful killing intents flare up behind me. One was Sakura and the other was...

Yuuma? Why is SHE pissed?

Anway, ignoring the powerful killing intent, I suggested a nearby, local family restaurant. I was still pissed at Xenovia, but I couldn't just say no to Irina who was starving. There were a few comments about selling souls or something, I don't remember.

When the two got done ordering, I could've sworn my wallet was crying since I was the one paying for the meal...

* * *

"Delicious! Japanese cuisine is delicious!"

"Yes, yes! This is it! This is the taste of the food of my homeland!"

Both Exorcists spoke with what appeared to be happiness in their voices as they inhaled their food.

For top-class fighters, they sure do eat a lot. If this is how Irina ate, it was a wonder she hadn't gotten fa-

"Were you about to have a thought about me being fat, Shi-chan!?" Irina said suddenly in an accusing tone, glaring in a way that appeared to be playful yet hostile.

I jumped, quickly shaking my head quickly, knowing the horrors an insulted woman could unleash.

"Even Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned" as they say.

"N-No! Iri-chan has the best figure I've ever seen!" Please forgive me for saying such things, Buchou!

Even though my love for Irina was dragged back up the surface, I still loved Buchou...it was very confusing for me.

A light pink appeared on Irina's face before she continued eating.

"Phew. Now I'm calm. It's the end of the world to get helped by a Devil." The blue-haired bitch said rudely.

"Oh, I'm sorry," I said with sarcasm in my voice. "How about next time I let you starve?...well, not Irina. I would never do that to her. YOU, however, can beg for your next meal."

"Pheeeew!" Irina released a sigh of relief. "Thank you for the meal. Aaaah God, please give charity to these Devils."

Irina had prayed, holding up her cross.

All of the Devils on our side of the table were seized by the pain of an incredibly sudden headache.

Sakura and Yuuma, the lucky buggers, were unaffected.

"Ah, I'm sorry. I did it without thinking." Irina apologized with such a cute face.

I smiled forgivingly. "It's alright. Accidents happen."

Irina smiled at my forgiveness. "Ah! I knew Shi-chan would be forgiving even now!"

"Yeah, well-OW!" Koneko-chan suddenly punched me in the arm. I shot her a look. "What was that for?!" I hissed.

Koneko-chan seemed to have just realized she did something because she had a surprised look.

"...Don't know."

I noticed Sakura and and Yuuma giving Koneko-chan an approving look which only further confused me.

Eventually, Xenovia chose to speak. "So, why did you come to us?"

Straight to business. I can respect that.

I put on a serious expression. "OK, to avoid beating around the bush, we want to help you destroy the Excaliburs you were sent to find."

The two Exorcists seemed surprised, glancing at one another at my sudden proposal.

I didn't tell them either of my reasons. I wanted to see their overall reactions first before I could even consider telling them.

"Yeah. Maybe it's okay leaving one sword to you guys. If you can destroy it, that is. But make sure that your identities aren't revealed. We also don't want our higher-ups and enemies to think that we are connected to you guys."

I blinked. Well...that was easy. I expected some harsh negotiations and me having to give up an arm or something...but wow.

"Hey Xenovia. Are you sure? Even if it's Shi-chan, he's still a Devil, you know?" Ow. It almost hurt how little Irina trusted me...even after everything...Well, it's to be expected since I'm a Devil and she's an Exorcist I suppose.

"Irina, to tell you the truth, it would really be tough to retrieve the three Excaliburs and to battle Kokabiel with only the two of us."

"I know that, but-!"

"The minimum objectives we have to achieve are destroying the three Excaliburs or take them back. If our Excaliburs are going to be stolen as well then we should break them before it happens. Even if we use the last resort, there's only a 30 percent chance that we will succeed in our mission and return home safely."

I turned to Irina. "I know you don't trust us because we're Devils and Fallen Angles, not even me." I tried to keep the hurt out of my voice. "But even if your job is to sacrifice yourselves for the sake of your missions, there's no point if you don't have to. Surely your beliefs can be flexible enough to accept help from a Dragon rather than a Devil, right?" I turned to Irina. "Irina, even if you cannot forgive me for becoming a Devil, I won't give up our promise. I'll chase after the Excaliburs own if I can keep you from harm." I took a sip of water from the cup on the table.

"Can you really reject your destined love's help after he says such a thing, Irina?" Xenovia said with what may have been amusement in her voice.

Both Irina and I do a spit-take.

""EEEEEEHHHHH!?""

My face was a deep red color as did Irina.

"D-Don't t-tell him those things, Xenovia!" Irina seemed horribly embarrassed something. I couldn't help but wonder where the Hell Xenovia got 'destined love' from. Irina then became shy, poking her fingers together. "W-Well, I mean...maybe if there was...and...we could...peace..."

I couldn't quite make out what Irina was saying because she was mumbling, but apparently it was personal.

Xenovia smiled to herself. "Yes. I believe that my belief is flexible enough to accept the help of a Dragon rather than a Devil." It was a good thing I was the Sekiryuutei. Otherwise this never would've succeeded unless one of my parents was a Dragon. "I never thought that I would meet Sekiryuutei in a distant country like this. Even if you turned into a Devil, I see that the Dragon power within you is still present. If it's like the legend says, then you can increase your power to that of a Maou, correct? If you gain a power to that of a Maou, then you can break the Excaliburs without a sweat. I also think that it was God's doing that we had this meeting."

She sounded strangely happy.

"C-Certainly they didn't tell us not to borrow the power of a Dragon…" Irina trailed off for a moment. "But you are just saying nonsense! Your belief is certainly weird!"

"Weird is fine with me." Xenovia replied. "But, Irina, he's your childhood friend, right? Let's trust him. The power of a Dragon."

Irina seemed to consider this, glancing at me for a moment before nodding in agreement.

"Well, since we've reached an agreement in our negotiation, I'll definitely lend you guys my Dragon power. I'm gonna call up a partner and let him know." I stood up from the table and took my cellphone outside. I mentally hoped that my two fellow Devils wouldn't do anything to provoke the Exorcists while I was gone.

I typed in a number into my phone and let it ring for a bit before a voice picked up.

[Hello?] I easily recognized the still somewhat angry voice as Kiba's.

"OK, to sum it up, we're at a restaurant with the two Excalibur wielders and you need to get your ass here ASAP if you want the chance you've been waiting for." I paused for a moment, thinking about something. "Also, I am not saying we're fighting with the Exorcists for their Excaliburs. That is not what I meant. Just get here."

There was a brief pause and I thought Kiba was going to reject the offer, but eventually there was a sigh.

[I'll be there in a little bit.]

There was a click as Kiba hung up. I shut my phone and put it back in my pocket.

So far, so good.

I couldn't help but wonder for how long my good fortune would last.

* * *

"…I understand the situation." That was all Kiba said at first when he arrived and we explained everything. "To tell the truth, I feel unsatisfied when the wielders of the Excaliburs are giving me the permission to destroy it."

"That's a rough way to speak. If you were a Stray-Devil, I would have cut you down without any time to spare." Xenovia said before she and Kiba started a glaring match. I forced both of them to sit down again by releasing a powerful killing intent, glaring at both of them.

"OK, first off, Kiba, I understand your pissed, but calm down." I then turned and glared at Xenovia. "And you, play nice or I leave you to your suicide run. So stop acting like children, BOTH OF YOU."

Both silently nodded, but didn't stop glaring at each other.

"So you do hold a grudge regarding the Holy Sword Project. Against the Church and the Excaliburs."

"Obviously." Kiba replied in a cold tone.

"But Kiba-kun, thanks to that project, the research on Holy Sword users showed results. That's why it created people like Xenovia and I who can synchronise with the Holy Swords."

"That doesn't excuse what happened, Irina." I said with a calm yet strict voice. "Such an inhumane act can never be excused or forgiven truly. There is no reason to feel proud about anything related to that project." I didn't bear any hatred towards Irina, so I gave her more of a scolding.

Irina hung her head a little and I felt bad. She didn't respond.

Kiba seemed to have a bit of gratitude on his face despite still seeming unhappy.

Xenovia was the one spoke next. "That incident also became one of the worst cases among us and people felt disgusted about it. The person in charge of that project at that time was said to have a problem with his belief. So he was charged with heresy. Now he's one of those people on the Fallen Angels' side."

Yuuma's eyes widened before narrowing. "...Valper Galilei. The Genocide Archbishop." She didn't seem proud to know the name. I turned to Yuuma with a surprised expression.

"What do you know about him?" I asked her.

Yuuma shook her head, an apologetic expression on her face. "I don't know much about him personally. I only know that he was assigned to work under Kokabiel specifically. I've only heard from Azazel-sama that he is someone I shouldn't associate with." Huh. So I guess the Governor of the Fallen Angels also didn't like the guy.

Sakura seemed to be shooting the Exorcists a dirty look.

Kiba's eyes had a new kind of determination in them, having found the identity of the man responsible for everything. "…If I go after the rogue Fallen Angels, then can I reach him…" It was good that he wasn't as bad as he was before. "Then it looks like I have to share information as well. The other day I was attacked by a person who had the Excalibur. At that time, he killed a priest. The one who was killed is probably from your organization."

There was shock on everyone's face and I tensed.

So Kiba has gone up against Excalibur again. It would explain why I hadn't heard from him in a while.

"The name of that person is Freed Zelzan. Does this name sound familiar?"

I clicked my tongue in disgust at the name of the Shitty Priest. "Of course. Why WOULDN'T he end up working with a psychopath like Galilei and an A-hole like Kokabiel."

Irina and Xenovia also apparently knew the name because their eyes became sharp.

"I see. So it's him."

"Freed Zelzan. Former Exorcist of the Vatican. The genius who became an exorcist at the age of 13. He had lots of big achievements because he kept on eliminating Devils and mystical beasts."

"But he overdid it. He even killed his allies. Freed never had any beliefs towards our God from the start. The only thing he had was fighting instinct and killing intent towards monsters. And an abnormal obsession for battles. It was a matter of time that he'd be charged for heresy."

I sighed. "That sounds like him."

Irina stared at me curiously. "You've met him?"

"Another long story short: He tried to dissect me, tried to kill my friends, and then I punched him in the face before he vanished for what I had hoped to be forever. He was a huge pain in the neck to deal with when he was a normal shitty priest. Him with an Excalibur is only so much worse."

"Is that so? Freed used the Excalibur he stole to kill our fellow followers. For us to pay the price because the disposal group couldn't take care of him that time..." Xenovia said with hatred.

"OK. Good to see he's hated by all." I said with a sigh. It only made sense for a person like that to be hated by a lot of people in the Church.

"Anyways," Xenovia started, getting back to the original topic. "Let's move onto the cooperation strategy."

Xenovia took out a pen and used it to write on a memo pad. She gave us her contact details. "If something happens, call this number."

I nodded. I prepared to write my own number. "Then I should-"

"We already received Shi-chan's number from Mako-nee!" Irina said cheerfully.

I sighed again. That sounded like something Mako-nee would do especially since Irina and I are supposedly engaged.

Speaking of Mako-nee...I haven't really spoken to her since I snapped at her. Whenever she was home, she was always silent when we passed by one another. She only had an expression of hurt on her face.

I considered apologizing once or twice, but I wouldn't even know how to start.

Anyway, the two Exorcists stood to leave.

"Then that's it then. I'll repay you for the meal another time, "Sekiryuutei" Fujimura Shirou." Xenovia said before leaving.

"Thanks for the meal, Shi-chan! Treat me again next time as well! Even if you are a Devil, God will allow it if it's Shi-chan who treats me to a meal! It's okay if it's food!" Irina thanked me, winking as she followed after Xenovia.

After that brief goodbye, they had left.

I managed to propose an alliance without somehow provoking a second Great War between the Three Factions.

That, my friends, is a win.

I noticed Kiba staring at me. "...Shirou-kun, why did you do this?" He asked quietly.

I crossed my arms. "Don't get me wrong. I'm not just doing this for you. Not just for Irina either. I'm doing this for Buchou, Asia, Koneko-chan, all of our friends who cares about you..." I coughed, feeling slightly embarrassed about my next words. "AndcosIcareaboutyoualittletoo. We may cause Buchou trouble in the long run, but it's better than having her cry because we couldn't help you, Kiba."

"…Yuuto-senpai. I would get lonely…if senpai disappeared." Koneko-chan had such a sad expression on her face. "…I will help you…that's why please don't go." I remembered another reason I was fighting. To keep the friends and family I love from shedding tears. I already failed my cute kouhai once. I wasn't going to fail Buchou, Asia, or any others by allowing Kiba to die because of his revenge.

"Not just her, but Master would also miss you dearly if you were to die, Yuuto-kun." Sakura piped in with a warm smile. "He cares more than you'd think."

I felt my face heat up. "I-I never said anything like that! I-I d-don't care or anything! S-Shut up! B-Baka!"

"Tsundere." Yuuma noted. Dear Maou, not you too, Yuuma!

I glared at her, my face still red.

"I'm not a goddamn tsundere!" I couldn't help but notice a smile on Kiba's face.

"Hahaha. I give up. If Shirou-kun feels that way and Koneko-chan says such things, then I can't do reckless things. Okay. I will work with you." I didn't deny that I'd miss the smiley-faced idiot if he went and died. "Thanks to Shirou-kun, I know who my true enemy is. But since we are doing this, we are definitely going to defeat the Excalibur."

I grinned. "Of course!" This was the best. Koneko-chan, Sakura, Yuuma, and now Kiba is eager to do this as well. "Alright! Operation: Holy Sword Break is a go! Let's beat the shit out of Excalibur and that Shitty Priest, Freed!" I pumped my fist into the air.

It was an alliance between me, Kiba, Koneko-chan on the Devils' side, Yuuma of the Fallen Angels, and the Exorcists from the Church which is on the Angels' side, Irina and Xenovia. It felt kind of nice since technically the Three Factions were working together to stop Kokabiel.

Maybe if they weren't at each others throats...maybe we could have peace.

I shook my head. In this world, such a thing was impossible apparently. It was just a foolish ideal.

"…Ummm, do I have to do it as well?" Saji asked us, raising his , unless you feel like dying at my hand..."I mean, I'm totally uninvolved in this… After all, how are Kiba and Excalibur related?"

Kiba then explained about his past. Every last detail involving the Holy Sword Project. I once again felt a surge of anger directed at the man I now knew as Valper Galilei who was responsible for Kiba's suffering. Every detail, including the painful deaths of Kiba and his comrades and his subsequent resurrection as Buchou's Knight, made me feel a new desire to rip that bastard apart.

I don't know why I felt so strongly about this. I mean, anger was natural, but I just felt so much more than what was natural.

I seemed to have a powerful empathy towards my friends. Oka-sama always told me that was one of the best things about me...

Yeah. I'm remembering more and more as the memories I've started to recognize came back to the surface.

I remembered a bit more about the Oka-sama I loved. She was a kind and warm woman. I didn't remember Otou-san at all, so I assumed perhaps he worked abroad or something...It was strange...

Why didn't I remember any of this until now?

I was snapped out of my thoughts when I noticed Saji crying. "Kiba! It must have been horrible! It must have been painful! Damn it! There isn't any God or hope in this world! Right now I feel so much sympathy for you! Yeah, it's a horrible story! I understand why you hold a grudge against those people from the church and Excalibur!" Amen (hehe, get it?). What God would allow such a cruel fate to befall children? "To tell you the truth, I didn't like you before because you were a good looking guy…"

That is understandable.

"But it's different now! I will also help! I'm willing to receive the punishment from Kaichou! But before that we have to destroy Excalibur! I will also work hard! You also have to live on! Don't ever betray Rias-senpai who saved you!"

Ah. Thank Maou. I didn't think my intimidation would've kept Saji in line for long. But now I think I actually kind of like this guy. When he puts his mind to something, he shows helluva lot of passion towards completing his objective. Something similar between the two of us.

"Okay! It's a good time! I want you guys to hear my story! You guys should know about me if we are working together!" I frowned.

"Eh?"

"My dream is to…make Kaichou pregnant and marry her! But, you know… making a girl pregnant and marrying her is hard for an unpopular guy like me. There aren't any girls that I can make pregnant to begin with… But I will one day make her pregnant and marry her…"

I scratched my head. "Just to be sure, you don't mean in that particular order, right? Cos from the way you said it, it wouldn't be wise to say it aloud like that ever again. Some people might mistake you for a potential rapist, you know."

Saji frowned. But then I smiled. "But falling for your Master? I can respect that. To feel such feelings for that person..." I gave Saji a thumbs up. "If you wish to pursue your true love, then charge forward with all of your might! It doesn't matter whatever obstacles may come your way! Overcome them with all of your might! It doesn't matter what it is, you have my support!"

More tears rolled down the sides of Saji's face. "Fujimura..." Saji gave me a thumbs up as well. "I thought you were a jerk before, but you're a pretty swell guy, Fujimuraaaa!" He wiped his tears. "But do you think it is truly possible?"

I grasped Saji's hand firmly. "Nothing is impossible! Even for idiots like us who pursue their Masters and their love!" I paused, having realized my mistake right in front of everybody. I felt my face heat up as I stepped back, turning away. "I-I mean, n-not that I'm in love with anybody a-at the moment! I-I never said I liked or even loved anybody! Stop putting words in my mouth!" I turned my gaze to the ground. "Idiots."

Saji had an expression like he just figured something out. "Ah. So this is what Yuuma-san meant by 'tsundere'."

I glared at the bastard. "S-Shut up, dumbass! I'm not a freaking tsundere!"

"Ahaha." Kiba laughed awkwardly with that annoying laugh of his. "Ah, some things never change, I suppose, regardless of the situation."

"OI! SHUT UP, STUPID PRINCE!"

"KAWAIIII! Master's so cuuuute when he's being tsundere~!" Sakura shouted joyfully with hearts in her eyes.

"I-I agree." Yuuma admitted shyly.

"S-Shut up, idiots!"

I turned when I felt Koneko-chan tugging on my sleeve. She was staring at me intently.

"...tsundere."

"GAAAAAAAH!" I screamed. "I'M NOT A GODDAMNED TSUNDEREEEEEE!"

* * *

**A Few Days Later...**

Even after spending days searching, we couldn't find hide nor hair of that Shitty Priest or Excalibur. Saji, Koneko-chan, Kiba, and I wandered around town dressed in priest outfits, but we found absolutely nothing.

I had Yuuma and Sakura patrolling on their own in their own two-person team. Sakura could sneak around easily, using her senses to detect our targets and Yuuma could follow behind as a guardian.

I was in the classroom, sighing to myself, propping my legs on my desk and leaning back in my chair.

"Well someone's clearly been thinking." I turned my head slightly to see Kiryuu walking up to me, placing her hands on her hips.

I closed my eyes. "You could say that. I've just had a lot on my mind."

"Is it that?" Motohama interrupted, adjusting his glasses on the other side of my desk. "Were you thinking about groping Rias-senpai's oppai or Himejima-senpai's oppai?"

SMASH! CRACK!

I punched the Male Pervy Glasses Character in the face, almost cracking his glasses. I glared.

"Dumbass."

"…We know, Shirou." Motohama continued, unfazed.

Matsuda nodded. "Apparently you link your arms with Rias-senpai and Asia-chan after your club activity, don't you? Are you trying to go home while having two flowers in your arms? You should get blown away to a different dimension and get melted by slimy monsters."

SMASH! CRACK! SMASH!

This time, I punched both of them in their faces. This time I was crying, trembling in fear.

"...slime..." Yeah. I was still working on that phobia. I was cool around Suu now, but I still couldn't forget the horrors of what I experienced at her hands. A dimension filled with "slime monsters" (as I heard it) would be my ultimate nightmare.

Asia walked up to me and patted me calmly on the shoulder while Sakura patted the other. Yuuma just stood awkwardly behind Kiryuu.

""GAAAH! You have both Sakura-chan and Asia-chan comforting you!?"" Both of the Perverted Duo cried. "GO DIE, YOU BASTAAAARD!"

"Maybe you two should stop being unbelievable perverts." Yuuma offered. "Maybe then girls would see you as anything other than the perverted trash you are."

"No one asked you!"

"Shut up or I'll strip you in my mind!"

I smashed my fists into the back of their heads. "Watch it. Don't talk to my friend that way."

Yuuma stared at me in surprise. "Friend? I'm really your friend?" She sounded like a child who was told they would get a new toy if they were good.

Deciding she'd earned my trust enough, I nodded, smiling slightly. "Of course."

Yuuma let out an excited squeak before trying to maintain a straight expression.

Hm. I guess she was that determined on gaining my trust.

"Kufufufufu~! It appears that Yuuma-chan is starting to wiggle her way into Shirou-chan's heart~!" Mittelt teased, appearing out of nowhere. It was Yuuma who hit her on the head, glaring with a slight pink on her face.

"By the way, Shirou. What are you going to do about the plan for karaoke and bowling?" Motohama asked me, returning to his normal self.

I sighed. We were going to goof around next weekend. Me, Asia, Kiryuu, Yuuma, Mittelt, Asia, Koneko-chan, and Kiba. It was going to be a fairly large group.

Kiba is the real problem here...

"Asia, Yuuma, Mittelt, and Kiryuu are going. So is Koneko-chan."

"Uooooooooo!" Matsuda cheered. "Asia-chan, Mittelt-chan, and Toujou Koneko-chan! I can put my tension up with this!"

SMACK!

This time it was Kiryuu who smacked Matsuda upside the head with a magazine, adjusting her glasses.

"I'm sorry for going as well."

I patted Kiryuu calmly on the head, a bored expression on my face. "Don't take it personal. They're just jealous that your perversion is larger than both of theirs put together. Plus, I don't mind you being there if it makes you feel any better."

Kiryuu smiled softly. "You know, that oddly makes me feel better despite the wording. I suppose your skill with women is improving, Shirou-kun~" She teased. I glared. "The only thing that surpasses your kindness is the size of your-" I clamped a hand over her mouth. I gave her a deadpan look.

"...I...I'm not even gonna say it." I took my hand from her and stepped away.

"You should be ashamed for harrassing Shirou-sama in such a way, Kiryuu-san." Sakura said with a seemingly scolding tone.

"Yes yes. How shameful." Yuuma agreed, nodding.

They then pulled Kiryuu away a bit and started whispering among themselves. I could hear them due to my enhanced senses as a Devil.

"So...How big IS Shirou-sama?"

"I would also like to know."

I sweatdropped at Sakura and Yuuma's interrogation of Kiryuu.

"Fufufu." Kiryuu giggle to herself. "Let's just say if he was up against a woman, he could use it as a weapon to break her in half."

"AAAAAND that's enough!" My cheeks turned a slight pink color as I dragged my two perverts-I mean FRIENDS away from my sexual harrasser-I mean Pervery Glasses Character friend.

"How big is it?" Mittelt asked without even trying to mask her question under false privacy. "Can you scream it from the rooftops so everyone will know?" It was clear she wanted to mess with me.

"Lalalalalalala! I'm not listening anymore! I'm not listening!" I gave up and decided to just ignore them.

Our conversation continued like that for a while and we all ended up laughing in the end for some reason.

These were the people who I wanted to protect. All of my friends. We would continue smiling together.

* * *

Later that same day, our group gathered in the park along with Yuuma and Sakura. We were dressed in our usual priest and nun outfits. We had walked around, looking for Excalibur to no avail.

Then Sakura tensed beside me. I tensed shortly afterward, sensing what she had sensed.

That familiar presence...

"Above us!" The others looked up to where Sakura pointed to a nearby rooftop from where a familiar Shitty Priest fell from carrying a long sword.

Kiba drew his own sword just in time to block the strike.

The Shitty Priest grinned when he saw me. "Well well, if it isn't Shirou-kun~! Well isn't this a weird reunion!? How is it? Has your Dragon power increased? Is it all right to kill you now?" I sensed even from where he stood that he did indeed possess an Excalibur.

"Don't you dare speak Master's name with that filthy mouth of yours." Sakura warned with a dark expression.

"You won't lay a hand on him!" Yuuma summoned up a light spear and used it to block Freed's path to me.

"Ah! A shitty snake and the slutty Fallen Angel! Isn't this a surprise~? Can I cut you up, too?"

I summoned Blade Genesis.

**[Reinforce! X3]**

I reinforced my physical strength once and my speed twice.

**[Reinforce!]**

I used another reinforcement on Kiba's power.

"Let me show you how I've improved, Shitty Priest!" I slammed my hand against the ground. Freed seemed confused until a small power emitted from my hand and created a path on the ground that spread towards Freed, covering his feet.

It wasn't powerful, but my basic demonic-power had increased due to training I had gone through with Akeno-san. I wasn't as skilled as her, but I still focused on increasing all of my abilities. I had mastered basic elemental magic like weak ice spells like the one I cast.

I held out both of my hands, focusing on the weapon-creating abilities of my Sacred Gear.

Then a weapon with an iron shaft and a sharp tip appeared in my hands.

Freed raised an eyebrow. "Oh. It appears the shitty Devil learned a new trick!"

I shook my head. "No. It's more like I'm learning more about my Sacred Gear." I smirked. "Turns out that Blade Genesis's abilities don't just allow me to create swords. It allows me to create any weapon, regardless of what it is, as long as it possesses some sort of blade." I charged at Freed, wielding my newly created lance and swinging it at him. He parries my thrust before swinging his sword at the ice encasing his feet, destroying it easily before he moved out of my range.

Damn!

"Stretch my line!" Saji made a small, black lizard appear on his hand. A line immediately shot out of the lizard's mouth and attached itself to the Shitty Priest! The Shitty Priest tried cutting it, but even his Holy Sword can't do jack shit! HAHAHA! How do you like that, you Shitty Priest!?

My respect for Saji rose at that moment.

"You can't cut it that easily. Kiba! With this he can't escape! Beat him down!"

"Thank you!" Kiba charged towards that Freed bastard with two demonic swords in his hand.

"Chi! So it's not only the [Holy Eraser], I see! Having multiple demonic-swords. Are you the possessor of [Sword Birth], perhaps? Wow. You are guilty of having a rare Sacred Gear, you know!"

The moment they made contact, Kiba's blades shattered.

"Don't forget about me, bastard!" Yuuma took to the skies and launched a powerful light spear at Freed.

I wondered how that was supposed to do anything, but then the light spear split into three and made more of a spray attack at Freed who still managed to block each strike, but clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"What an annoying Fallen Angel-chan!" Freed made a move to go after Yuuma, but he was blocked when a powerful, monstrous claw blocked his sword. It was long, scaly, and ended in four razor sharp claws at the end of the fingers.

I was more surprised by the owner of the claw.

"S-Sakura?!"

My Great Snake familiar glared at Freed with a dark expression on her face, using her claws to catch the blade rather than her arm.

"I won't let you lay a hand on my Master's future concubine!" Both Yuuma and I did a dry spit-take despite the situation.

"I-I-EEEEEEHHHH?!"

"N-Now is hardly the time for such a conversation, Sakura!"

Sakura stuck out her tongue playfully before returning to her previous expression.

He slashed at Sakura who countered with strikes from her own claws. She was a surprisingly capable fighter.

That's my Sakura-chan~!

Eventually Freed's speed proved to be greater because he shoved Sakura back. He raised his sword to wound her, but I intercepted the attack with my lance.

"Don't you lay a hand on her!"

Freed laughed. "Ha! Well it's time I cut you up anyway~! I wonder if you're blood will be as red as a normal person's?! Can I cut you open and find out~?"

"Fuck off, you psychopath!" We exchanged blows with our respective weapons. Despite getting stronger, I still lost in a contest of natural speed.

**[Reinforce!]**

My breathing began to speed up as the amount of reinforcments I've used increased as I increased my speed. I tried jabbing my spear at Freed who used his Excalibur to block.

"Excalibur! Respond to me! Grant me the speed!" The Shitty Priest's strikes became even faster than they were before. I struggled just to keep up with him until eventually he kicked my dead center in the chest, sending me flying backwards towards Koneko-chan who caught me.

I was about to thank her when-

"...Shirou-senpai, help Yuuto-senpai." Without any hesitation, Koneko-chan lifted me up and threw me back towards the battle. Rude...but effective.

"YOU PSYHO BITCH!" Sakura screamed. "THE FUCK'S THE MATTER WITH YOU, THROWING MY MASTER LIKE THAT?!" Wow. Never thought Sakura could have a potty mouth. Although she only seemed to have it when I was in harm's way. It was like a split personality.

I shook my head, focusing on my target.

"KIBA! HEADS UP!"

**[Reinforce! X2]**

I used two more reinforcements on Kiba, causing the amount of reinforcements on him to increase to three. I was getting noticeably tired by that point. Seven long-term reinforcements still took a bit of energy. Nothing big, but it was still enough to slow me down a bit.

But still, Kiba's power should've increased quite a bit with my [Reinforcement] powers.

"…I have to use it since I received it! [Sword Birth]!"

Kiba then summoned lots of Demonic Swords that covered the area. They started going for Freed who clicked his tongue before he started to destroy the swords that targeted him.

Kiba used his speed and charged Freed while different Demonic Swords came at the Shitty Priest from different directions.

However, even with his reinforced power, Kiba was still no match for Freed's Excalibur.

"My Excalibur is Excalibur Rapidly! In terms of velocity, it won't lose to anything!"

Ah. So his Excalibur is called Excalibur Rapidly. That must mean he's using the sword's power to make the blade go at a greater velocity to the point that it seemed to disappear.

"It's not working!" The Demonic Swords that Kiba had in both hands crumbled. Freed made a downward swing in an attempt to hit Kiba, but as he did, Saji pulled on his line, causing the Shitty Priest to lose his balance.

"Like I would let you!" Way to go, Saji!

"…This is!? Shit! Are you absorbing my powers!?"

Absorbing!? Did that tongue that was coming out of Saji have some kind of special ability? Hm. Here I was thinking it was just a rope.

"Heh! How's that! This is my Sacred Gear "Absorption Line"! As long as this line is connected to you, your power will continue to be absorbed by my Sacred Gear! Yeah! Until you lose your consciousness that is!"

Ah. So Saji's a Sacred Gear possessor as well, eh? It would explain why his spirit and his own power are so impressive.

"…Dragon-type Sacred Gear is it!? The most troublesome type. The initial ability isn't that much of a threat. But when it grows, the destructible power surpasses other Sacred Gears on a whole different level. Scary. Man, it is such a nuisance!" The Shitty Priest once again tried to cut the line that was attached to him to no avail.

What did he mean by a "Dragon-type Sacred Gear"? Is it something like how Ddraig lives in Blade Genesis? If so, what kind of Dragon lives in Saji's Sacred Gear, I wonder?

"Kiba! It's not the time to be complaining! Just beat that guy! The problem with the Excalibur can come after that! This guy is seriously dangerous! Just standing in front of him makes me tremble! If we leave him be, he will also cause harm to me and Kaichou! I will weaken him by absorbing his power with my Sacred Gear, so take him down at once!"

"…I feel reluctant, but I also agree to finish you off here. There's still two more Excaliburs that were stolen. I will have to hope that the other two are strong." Kiba, my willpower is slowly beginning to crumble as I resist the urge to kill Freed myself. Either do it now or move out of the way!

"Ha! I'm stronger than the other two, you know? So! The moment you six beat me, there aren't others who will put up with you guys! Are you sure? If you kill me, you won't have any Holy Sword battle that would satisfy you." Freed said with a disgusting smile. Freed, you are one sick sonnuva bitch.

"Hmmm. [Sword Birth] huh? It's a Sacred Gear that can have an infinite number of powers depending on the possessor." A new voice appeared. I looked past Freed to see an old man wearing Priest clothes. I knew for sure when he gave Freed advice on how to escape from Saji's Sacred Gear, allowing Freed to use his sword to cut through the line.

I narrowed my eyes, pointing at the man. I had a suspicion I knew who he was.

"Hey, shitty geezer! I have a question for you!"

The old man turned my way, staring at me with disgust in his eyes.

"Tell me. Are you Valper Galilei?"

The old man regarded me for a moment, as if trying to place a name to a face. "If I am?"

My rage boiled all of my insides as I lost all hesitation. I charged forward.

"Oh no you don't!" Freed attempted to stand in my path, but my rage took over my body. I created two swords and caught Freed's blade on my own before I threw my fist forward, slamming it right against the side of his face and sending him flying to the side. It helped that I enhanced my strength with a reinforcement while channeling demonic energy into my fist.

I pinned the old bastard against a tree, glaring at him with all the hatred I could muster.

This man...He was the one responsible for everything Kiba and his friends from the Holy Sword Project went through. All of their pain and suffering.

"You give the Church a bad name, you shitty geezer!"

Valper's eyes widened as if realizing something. "Tell me...do you know the woman known as Miyako Fujimura?" He spoke Oka-sama's name with utter distaste.

I lifted him up and slammed him against the tree again. "How do you know Oka-sama?"

Valper curled his lip in disgust. "She was one of the Church's greatest Exorcists. It would've been impossible to not have heard of her. She was one of the few natural Holy Sword wielders the Church had before she wasted her potential by retiring. That woman had always been against my research, not seeing my greatness. It was bleeding hearts like her who got in my way. Kokabiel-sama saw me for my greatness and allowed me to continue my work."

I bared my teeth. "My mother was right to oppose you, you sick bastard! "Greatness"!? That's what you call the torture and massacre of innocent children?!" Even if it was Kiba's past, the thought of so many innocent people being killed...not being able to save anyone...I felt so angry...just so angry...

The geezer glared darkly at me. "It's only fitting that you, that heretical woman's son, became a Devil. If the Church couldn't understand the boon that my research brought them, then why would a filthy Devil like you understand?" He pulled out something from his pocket. It was a somewhat diamond-shaped gem and seemed to glow with a small blue light. "It is because of my research that the Church has so many Holy Sword wielders." He sneered. "All of those fools had the nerve to call me a monster, yet they continue to use my research." He lifted the gem so it was more visible to me. "This is the product of my work. My genius. It's gems like these that are coalesced Holy energy that allow others to gain the ability to use Holy Swords."

My rage was so close to breaking. "You DARE try to justify killing children!? CHILDREN! Innocent kids who didn't deserve such suffering! Kids who never had the chance to find a true home!"

"Those eyes..." I could almost feel my eyes turn a dark-red color.

I summoned a Holy Sword using Blade Genesis.

"If you like, how about I rip open your guts a copy of the Holy Swords you love so much!? I'm sure my Oka-sama would've loved to do such a thing herself!"

"Shirou! Allow me." Kiba demanded. "This is _my_ past we're talking about."

I didn't hear him due to the amount of rage rushing through my body. I raised my Holy Sword.

But I never made it.

I was about to murder the man before me. I was about to _kill someone_.

Before I could shove my Holy Sword through Valper's throat, everything went white.

_I was back in the burning house being swallowed by blue flames._

_I was once again in my younger body, pinned under some kind of debris as the flames ate away at me._

_I was screaming out to her, the woman who laid dead in front of me._

_What...? Why am I here again?...No...It can't be...How did I get here?_

"_Oka-sama!"_

_No! NO NO NO NO! STOP IT!_

_Why!? Why am I here again?! I thought I was better!_

_NO! STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT!_

_Please, I don't want to see this anymore!_

_STOP IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!_

"Shirou!"

I blinked, my eyes widening as I realized I had slipped into some sort of trance.

I realized I was still pinning Valper against the tree.

"Out of the way, Shitty Devil!"

I was too slow to react. I didn't remember Freed's presence until it was too late. I tried releasing my grip on Valper, but I already felt the pain of a blade passing through the flesh on my lower arm.

My eyes widened in shock as I saw my right arm fly in the opposite direction of the one that I fled in.

The moment I landed away from my enemies, I fell to my knees as blood spewed from the stump that once held my lower right arm.

"GAAAAAAAAAAH!" I screamed towards the sky, feeling an unbelievable pain spread through my body from my arm stump. It felt like someone was filling my body with the damage caused by a thousand light spears. I looked several feet away to where my severed arm quickly dissolved into nothingness. I saw smoke coming from my arm stump despite the fact it was still bleeding.

I grunted in pain. The Holy energy was spreading throughout my body.

"Kibaaaa!" I screamed in pain, sweating from how agonizing the power of Excalibur was. "You gotta cut it all off! CUT IF OFF NOW!"

Kiba was snapped out of his shock by my words, ending up in even deeper shock. "What?"

I glared at him, unnaturally furious he was hesitating. I manifested a sword in the ground before him.

"Before I'm killed by Excalibur's power, you gotta cut off the rest of my arm to keep the damage from spreading!"

"But-" Kiba's eyes shifted from me to Freed and Galilei whom he had so much hatred towards.

Damn! Don't hesitate now! If you wait too long, my body will be reduced to less than ashes!

"DO IT!" I hunched over. "NOOOOOW!" Someone picked up the sword and came running towards me, screaming.

"YAAAAAAAH!"

I screamed in pain once again as another chunk of my arm ended up being cut off by a sword.

"GAAAAAAAAAAH!" It felt like I was going through it all over again, but it was much less terrible since my arm was cut off before Excalibur's power could spread to my entire body.

More blood spewed from the wound than before, coloring the ground with a dark-red color.

Despite it being my own blood, it held a twisted beauty.

"Master!" Sakura forgot everything about the battle we were in and ran over to me, crouching by my side. She looked up and glared at the person who saved me. "What the fuck's wrong with you, Yuuma!?"

Yuuma stared in horror at my missing arm, her shaky hands struggling to grasp the sword I had created.

"I...I..." She stared at the bloody sword she held with horror.

Being the first to act, she had grabbed my sword and cut off the Excalibur-infected part of my arm before it could spread.

"Fujimura!" Saji took his eyes off of the battle to look at me with slight worry.

The Shitty Priest grinned. "I will be escaping now! The next time we meet will be the time of our ultimate battle!"

"No!" I shouted back, attempting to stand up only to collapse once more due to pain.

No! They can't get away! Not when we were so close!

"I won't let you escape!" Someone ran past me at a very fast speed, clashing blades with the Shitty Priest. It was Xenovia!

"Yahoo! Shi-chan!"

"Irina!" Irina appeared as well!

She had such a cheerful expression. She looked like she was about to wave at me...until she saw my missing arm and the incredibly pained expression on my face.

Then Irina's face became cold. I thought she was angry at me, but then she turned towards Freed. I noticed her grip on her Excalibur Mimic had tightened slightly.

"Freed Zelzan," She said coldly. "Were you the one who did this to Shi-chan?"

Freed grinned while still trading blows with Xenovia. "Oh yeah~! I planned on cutting him in half, but the shit's arm was all I got! I was going to enjoy watching him turn to dust, but then that slutty Fallen Angel cut off the rest before it could finish!"

"I see..." was all Irina said. Then she rushed towards Freed. I could've sworn I saw an emotion I had never seen on her face before: Anger. Rage. Freed traded blows with Irina as well, doing his damned best to fight both at once. "Freed Zelzan! For what you did against both the Church and Shi-chan, I will cut you down in the name of God!"

Even Xenovia seemed surprised by Irina's new-found anger, but she didn't stop.

"Ha! Don't say the name of the hateful God that I hate! You bitch!" Freed then took out a strange ball of light.

"Old-man Valper! We are escaping! We are going to report to the boss, Kokabiel!"

"There's no other way."

"See ya! The alliance of Church and Devils!"

NO! They can't get away!

I tried to move, but I was still paralyed in pain. Yuuma and Sakura were doing their best to stop the bleeding and bandage the wound. Koneko-chan just stared in shock and disbelief. She hadn't moved at all...

The Shitty Priest threw the ball against the ground. A powerful flash of light swallowed the area.

When it was gone, those two bastards had vanished!

"We are going after them Irina." Xenovia said, but Irina had already run ahead.

"Get back here!" Wow. I had never seen Irina actually pissed off before.

The two Exorcists followed after Freed and Valper, sprinting.

"I'm going after them too! I won't let you escape Valper Galilei!" Kiba gave chase as well.

I reached out with my other hand. "Kiba! Wait! Damn!" I had come so far, but in the end, I was of no help at all! I turned to Sakura. "Follow them. Keep them safe, OK?"

Sakura stared at me uncertainly. "B-But, you-"

"I'll be fine. Just keep them alive. GO!" I spoke the final word as a forceful command.

Sakura didn't seem to like it, but she nodded, shape-shifting into snake form and slithering after our three comrades.

I let my reinforcements fade as Kiba moved too far away and as I was in no condition to fight.

I did my best to stand, but Koneko-chan caught me when I stumbled.

She supported me to keep me from falling face-first. "...You're in no condition to keep going. You can't fight at your best like this."

She was right. Even if I did have the energy, I WAS MISSING A FUCKING ARM!

Saji ran over to us, the battle being over for now.

"Fujimura! You okay?!"

I stared at him, waiting for him to realize how stupid the words he just said were. "I-"

"I mean other than your missing arm."

"Ah, that's better." I replied. "Yeah...but I've still been better..." I was still in pain, but the initial shock was over.

"When I thought that the flow of power was irregular…"

"This is certainly troublesome."

I turned to see Buchou and Kaichou standing across from us with serious expressions.

Buchou turned to me. "Shirou, you have-" Then she stopped. Her eyes widened and she started trembling when she saw the stump where my arm used to be. "Shirou..."

I chuckled awkwardly. "Erm...it's not as bad as it looks?"

* * *

After we explained what had happened, Buchou had apparently started feeling a mix of shock and anger.

"What were all of you thinking?!" Buchou said, speaking both her and Kaichou's thoughts.

I grunted, still being supported by Yuuma after Buchou did a quick treatment to stop the bleeding from my arm. We would have it properly healed real soon since it was no longer life-threatening.

I raised my remaining hand. "It was my fault, Buchou, Kaichou."

All eyes ended up being on me. Koneko-chan, Saji, and Yuuma stared at me in shock.

I knew what I was doing. I was in trouble either way, so I might as well...

"I wanted to help Kiba, so I told Koneko-chan, Sakura, Saji, and Yuuma that I had attained both of your permissions to hunt after Excalibur." I gestured to the others. "So don't blame them. They didn't know we were acting against your orders." Buchou seemed like she was beginning to believe it, but Kaichou stared at me with cold eyes.

She then turned to Saji. "Is this true, Saji?" Saji glanced at me and I gave a slight nod.

He swallowed hard before nodding very quickly. "Y-Yes, Kaichou! Fujimura told us he asked you before he made me help with this mission!"

Kaichou still seemed unconvinced. "Are you sure that's the truth?" Her oppressive aura became more powerful.

Saji didn't speak and just continued nodding, doing his best not to break down.

I smiled, raising my hand again. "Yeah, I'm a bit of a jackass-"

SLAP!

Buchou slapped me across the face. "Is that all you can say?! What would you have done if you were killed?! What would I or the others have done if you died?! Is that all you can say for yourself after almost getting yourself erased by Excalibur?!"

I then realized that Buchou wasn't angry...she was afraid. I couldn't blame her. According to me, I almost ended up costing her the lives of Koneko-chan, Kiba, and even myself.

I knew what I should do. I managed to stand on my own after breaking free of Yuuma. I managed to take two unsteady steps forward, wrapping my remaining arm around Buchou and embracing her. I smiled lightly.

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry I made you worry, Buchou." I hugged her tightly. "I'm sorry...but we, me, Koneko-chan, Sakura, and Yuuma...even if it greatly affected the world of Devils, we couldn't let Kiba go and get himself killed...We just wanted to protect our friend."

Buchou trembled slightly, burying her face into my shirt as I felt something warm and wet soak into my shirt that wasn't blood for a change.

"B-But...Your arm..." Buchou seemed to have difficulty finding words to say.

I sighed. "It's a good thing I'm a lefty. Otherwise I would've been screwed."

Buchou then pulled away and stared at me with teary eyes. "Shirou...I'm definitely going to punish you later..." It sounded so much less threatening when she had such teary eyes. But I knew she was serious about that.

I chuckled awkwardly, sweatdropping a little. "Yeah, I figured."

* * *

**Later That Night...**

I couldn't get to sleep that night.

After being pretty much dragged home, Buchou forced me to rest to recover from my injuries with Asia healing my arm stump. Because my arm itself was gone, I would forever be stuck with the stump until I got something to replace my missing arm...

And then came punishment.

After I was well enough to receive it, Buchou cursed me with the pain of 1400 spankings. It was initially 1000, but Buchou added 100 more spankings for each person I had gotten involved in "my scheme".

Auuuuu! It hurt so bad! Sakura, Yuuma, Koneko-chan, Saji! You guys better appreciate the sacrifice I made for you!

The three ORC members got off without much punishment other than a light scolding after I took most of the blame. Kaichou seemed to see through my lie, but still didn't punish Saji other than forcing him to catch up on Student Council duties he had been slacking on since we began hunting Excalibur.

I couldn't get to sleep that night. Things had gotten incredibly serious since our run-in with Freed and the Excaliburs.

The Fallen Angel members of the ORC became on high alert ever since Kokabiel had become more active. Since I was 'crippled' in my fight against Freed, they had Yuuma stationed at my house, so she was staying over.

I had also been told off by Kalawarner for an odd reason. She wasn't angry, just worried:

"_Shirou...I know you may not understand it really, but you have to watch yourself. Otherwise you might end up taking advantage of Raynare's feelings."_

_I was surprised because Kalawarner called her by her real name. "Eh?"_

_Kalawarner shook her head. "You may not get it, but she really does care about you...just...take care of her, OK?"_

_I didn't understand what Kalawarner was getting at, but I nodded. "Of course. I'll protect everyone I care about."_

Kalawarner smiled. I blushed when I remembered how she gave me a quick kiss on the cheek as some sort of thanks.

There had been no word from Kiba or Sakura since they had gone after Freed and Valper. That left me incredibly worried.

What was most annoying was the fact that Excalibur was right in front of me and I couldn't do a damn thing about it...

I stared at my open hand with self-loathing in my gaze.

Dammit...Why did I hesitate?

I flashed back to the moment when I had Valper pinned.

I...I had a vision of that place...that place that was, to me, synonymous to the place known as Hell.

Why did I see that place again? I thought I was over it, but...

I sat on the couch in the living room, sighing.

I had just come back from the bathroom after staring at my appearance in the mirror without my shirt.

It was so weird...seeing myself missing my right arm and all. I looked so pathetic with most of my torso bandaged up. I looked so pathetic. It was like staring at a completely different person.

I resisted the urge to smash the mirror into pieces out of anger.

So I settled for sitting on the couch, sulking to myself. "Dammit..."

"Shirou..."

I jumped before turning to see Yuuma dressed in a black night gown. "Oh...Yuuma."

"Raynare." The Fallen Angel stated. I frowned. Yuuma turned away, her face turning slight pink. "When we're alone...I want you to call me by Raynare."

I stared at her in confusion for a moment before nodding. "Sure...Raynare."

Raynare seemed happy for some reason. "I'm glad...Is it okay if I sit next to you?" I nodded again, moving out of the way so my Fallen Angel comrade could sit beside me. She curled up into a ball, hugging her legs against her chest.

There was an awkward silence between the two of us. We had never been alone together.

I mean, Hell! I never thought I'd be peacefully sitting against the girl who murdered me.

No, I reminded myself. It was Kokabiel who tricked her into killing me.

I leaned back in my seat, trying to find something to say.

"...I'm sorry."

Raynare's sudden words took me by surprise. I sat up and stared at her in confusion.

"About what?" I then looked at my arm stump. I grinned. "Oh THAT? Don't worry about it. You actually saved my life there! If you hadn't cut it off, my death would've been slow and painful."

Raynare shook her head. "No. Not about that...About...what I did when we met..."

I paused, finally realizing what Raynare was referring to. It was the act of killing me that she was referring to.

I noticed an expression of guilt on her face. "Oh...Well...let's just...put it in the past, I guess. I mean, I'm alive now, so I suppose that's all that matters."

Raynare shook her head. "No...because of me, I almost got all of my friends killed. If...If you had been anyone else, Kalawarner, Mittelt, Dohnaseek, they all would've died. It would've been all my fault. Not only that, but I seriously hurt you. I lied to you and betrayed you..."

I awkwardly patted Raynare on the head. "Erm...there there..."

"Why aren't you angry?!" Raynare snapped. "Why don't you hate me or anything?! I KILLED YOU!" Raynare clenched her fists. "I...And the worst part was...I...I did like you..."

I stared blankly. "Huh?"

Raynare blushed, apparently having realized something. "I mean...When...when we were enemies, I had to force myself to hate you...I wanted to hate you as my enemy, but...I couldn't..."

I waited, allowing Raynare to continue.

"...And after we're finished with Kokabiel...we'll end up being enemies again. Me, Kalawarner, Mittelt, and Dohnaseek will end up being your enemies again." Raynare seemed incredibly sad.

I frowned in confusion. "Why would we end up being enemies?"

Raynare stared, stupefied by my ignorance. "Because we're of different sides! Fallen Angels, Angels, and Devils are not meant to naturally interact! You may as well just kill me now, because it's bound to happen at some point!"

Raynare would've continued if I hadn't flicked her forehead. "Baaaaka. Even if we are of opposite sides, you guys will always be my friends."

"Then it will only make it so much harder for you to kill us." Raynare said darkly.

"Raynare..." I said with a sad expression.

"We're going to have to fight sometime in the future..." Raynare was trembling. I noticed small tears forming in her eyes. "...I don't want to fight you...So you may as well kill me now...I...I don't want to hurt my friends..." I couldn't help but smile a little at the irony. Raynare had used to hate Devils so much, but now a group of them ended up being her best friends.

"You don't have to worry. You won't have to, Raynare." I said, waving off her concerns. Raynare stared at me in confusion. "I've realized what I'm gonna do with my power now." I used my one remaining hand to hold one of Raynare's calmly. "I'll change this world, Raynare. I'll use my power to create a better one. Not just for Devils, but for Angels and Fallen Angels as well. One where we can all live together peacefully. Where we don't have to fight each other." I continued smiling at my friend. "I want your help in creating that world, Raynare. You, Kalawarner, Mittelt, Dohnaseek, whatever help I can get."

Raynare's willpower completely shattered. She sank and leaned against me, crying on my shoulder.

"I don't wanna leave..." She said, sobbing to herself.

I wrapped my arm around her and held her gently. "You don't have to. You're my friend. You can stay if you want, Raynare."

Raynare kept crying, but her tears...her breathing...they seemed more relieved than before.

"...I'm happy..." Raynare said, smiling slightly while crying. "Shirou...just for tonight...can we stay like this?"

I stared in surprise at Raynare's request.

Was this what Kalawarner had meant about Raynare's feelings?

But then I found myself smiling again. "Of course." And so we remained that way for quite a while.

Thankfully, Buchou had left me to my own devices because I think (for some reason I can't put my finger on) she would've unleashed a powerful killing intent if she had seen me and Raynare as we were at that moment.

Then the atmosphere became tense as a powerful pressure appeared very close to us. I released Raynare from our embrace and looked out the window on the ground floor. The person standing outside was-

"Freed!" I recognized the Shitty Priest the moment I laid eyes on him. Yuuma and I quickly got dressed and were met by Buchou and Asia who stared at my missing arm worriedly.

It WAS a pain in the ass to put a shirt on with only one arm.

We all ran outside and I quickly found the source of the powerful pressure...

A Fallen Angel...He had ten wings and I had no doubt I knew who he was...he had the pressure of a boss-level character.

"Kokabiel..." Raynare said with a shaky voice. She was trembling and I had no doubt she was terrified of that man. He was someone who was a leader like that Azazel guy. He no doubt held a lot of power.

Kokabiel noticed Raynare's presence and laughed. "Ha! It appears the rumors are true! You rejects ended up becoming the bitch of a worthless Devil! Fuhahahahaha! How precious!"

Raynare glared at Kokabiel. "Azazel-sama won't stand for this! You can't start a war! Azazel-sama will go against it! I'm against it!"

Kokabiel scoffed at Raynare's feelings. "Like I care if you're against it. You..." He then noticed me and narrowed his eyes. "You...who are you,brat?"

I glared at the rogue Fallen Angel. "Shirou Fujimura, [Pawn] of Rias Gremory."

Kokabiel just continued examining me, as if trying to remember something. "No matter. A pathetic wretch like you couldn't do anything if you wanted to." He had apparently noticed my missing arm because he sounded slightly amused.

"Don't talk to him that way!" Raynare defended. A spear of light materialized in her hands, but I shot her a look to calm her down. We would have to all work together to defeat that guy. He was a leader of the Fallen Angels. One of the survivors of the Great War. Even I knew he wasn't a threat to be underestimated.

I froze when I realized he was carrying something...a person...a person familiar to me...

"Oh yeah...This is a gift." Kokabiel stated, throwing the person to me.

I ran forward as fast I could and used my remaining arm to catch the person...

Irina...the woman I had loved for a long time...she dropped into my arms, in terrible shape. Her entire body was covered in severe wounds and lots of blood! Her breathing was heavy.

I couldn't believe what I was seeing. "Irina...No...Come on, Irina. Open your eyes! Please!"

"She came into my base. So I gave her a welcome. I couldn't catch the other three. Not even that damned snake that took a snap at me." So Kiba, Xenovia, and Sakura escaped...Sakura, you did a good thing snapping at Kokabiel with your sharp snake teeth. Good snake.

I continued holding Irina. "Wake up, Irina! IRINA!" I turned and screamed at the top of my lungs. "ASIAAAA!" I turned back to Irina. "It's going to be okay, Irina. I promised...I promised I'd protect you..." I couldn't help the tears that poured down the sides of my face. Asia ran over to me and quickly started healing Irina. I kept speaking to her even though she wasn't conscious. "You're going to be okay, Irina. You're going to be okay...Please be okay..." I pressed my forehead against hers, still crying. I spoke in an even softer whisper that nobody else could hear. "_...I love you._ Please...I love you...please be okay...please..."

I felt so broken...so broken...Oka-sama...I couldn't even protect the girl I've loved since childhood...Oka-sama...

Why am I so useless...?

"I wouldn't do something as stupid as talking with a Maou. Well, if I rape and kill his little sister, then Sirzechs' anger will be pointed towards me. That won't be bad."

The sound of Kokabiel's voice snapped me out of it.

All of my fear...my sorrow...it all became rage in that moment.

"GAAAAAAAAAAH! KOKABIIIIIIEEEEEL!" I felt power explode out of my body. Every last bit of my hatred was directed towards Kokabiel. The desire to tear him apart was breaking my will, close to taking over my body. Buchou and Asia's presences were the only things keeping me from going berserk.

Kokabiel's eyes widened in shock. "Those eyes...this power...It can't be..." He glared down at me with what may have been fear in his eyes. But he quickly returned to normal. He shook his head before turning back to Buchou. "Regardless, I'm going to start a battle involving the Holy Swords, Rias Gremory. For starting a war! A school where both little sisters of Sirzech's and Leviathan's go to. It must be filled with demonic-powers so that I can enjoy the chaos! It's also the best place to release the real power of Excaliburs! It's a good place for the battlefield."

Bastard...

I continued suppressing my blood lust and desire to kill, but it was getting harder with each passing second.

"Hyahahaha! Isn't my boss the best?!" Freed said excitedly. "His craziness is the best. So I'm also eager to do it. He even gives me treats like this." Then the Shitty Priest started to take something out...four somethings. I easily recognized all of them as Excaliburs. One was bad enough, but FOUR!?

I recognized one of them as Irina's Excalibur Mimic.

"The one on the right is Excalibur Rapidly. The one on the left is Excalibur Nightmare. The one on my hip is Excalibur Transparent. I also received Excalibur Mimic from the girl over there! I also feel like getting Excalibur Destruction that the other girl has. Hyaa! Am I the first person in the World to be in possession of this many Excaliburs? I also received an element from the geezer Balba that allows me to wield holy-swords. Right now I'm in a hyper mode that allows me to wield all of them, you know? I'm invincible! I'm wonderful! I'm the strongest! Hyahahahahahahahaha!"

"Valper's holy-sword research. It's the real deal if it shows this much result. To tell the truth, it seemed suspicious when he joined my plan." It only made sense that two psychopaths would work together like that.

"What are you planning to do with the Excaliburs!?" Buchou asked him.

Kokabiel moved his ten black wings and moved his body in the direction of the school.

"Hahaha! Let's have a War! Little sister of Sirzech Lucifer, Rias Gremory!"

Freed took out a familiar ball of light, releasing another flash that blinded us while they escaped.

"GET BACK HERE, BASTARD!" I tried running after them, but I was stopped by Buchou's hand on my shoulder.

"Shirou-"

I shook my head. "I still have one arm. I'm going to use it to rip that bastard's wings right from his back." I then got a softer expression. "Please let me fight, Buchou."

Buchou stared into my eyes before sighing. "OK." She then turned to all of the ORC members we had assembled.

"Everyone! We are going to the school!"

[Right!]

We all responded in perfect unison. We were about to start a fight for our very lives.

Wait for me, Kokabiel...

I'm going to tear you to shreds.

* * *

**Makoto's POV...**

I had been awake long before that presence made itself known. I had been awake the entire time...

And I didn't do a goddamned thing.

Even when my precious little brother's childhood friend was being hurt, I did nothing.

It ate me up so much on the inside, but things would only be worse if I broke _that deal_.

To protect my baby brother, I had to allow him to suffer. What a cruel world this is...

And, as I stared from the rooftops towards Kuoh Academy, I sensed the amount of power gathering there grow larger as Shirou's awakening came close.

"So close, Shirou..." I placed a hand against my chest. "...I'm sorry. I failed to protect you from this fate...I wanted you to have a normal life, but I failed...And I couldn't do anything to help you without interefering and breaking that deal...In the end, your path as a Devil was sealed since the start." I felt my eyes fill with tears. "I'm sorry, Shirou..." I glared at a figure who was not even present. I could only hope he felt my hatred from wherever he was.

"_Damn you to Hell, Lucius."_

**And with that, I am done. I thought about splitting this into two smaller chapters, but then I would just have two short chapters...relatively short I mean...Anyway, it's done. So thank you!**

**Next chapter should be the exciting conclusion of this story arc~! All of the big secrets will finally be revealed~!**

**Thanks for the reads and reviews~!**

**Bye-Bye~!**


	20. Chapter 19: Heritage Part 1

**And it's time for the thrilling conclusion~! We've built up to this for the entire thus far, but now everything will be revealed and hopefully resolved~! I thank you all for following me but-Neh. I'm not gonna tell that cruel joke.**

**Here's to the grand finale of Devil Reborn Volume 3~!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except OC's.**

**Chapter 19:**

**Heritage**

**Part 1**

**Shirou's POV...**

**[Kuoh Academy]**

"Rias-senpai. We have covered the school with a large barrier. With this, unless something disastrous happens, there will be no damage outside." Saji reported.

We, the Occult Research Club and the Student Council, had gathered at the park located right in front of Kuoh Academy and the only people who were absent were Kiba and Sakura who still hadn't responded to my mental communication attempts. I admit I was worried about both of them. I was still seething and very eager for the chance to rip Kokabiel apart, but I was still enough in my right mind to remember my friends.

Asia healed Irina, so she was going to be alright. It was thanks to Asia that Irina was able to avoid the worst-case scenario despite still being injured. She was being watched over by Dohnaseek and Mittelt while Raynare and Kalawarner remained with the ORC, both in the outfits I met them in, Raynare in her revealing S&amp;M-seeming outfit and Kalawarner in her trench coat.

I would've found myself drooling had we been in any other situation.

"This is to keep it to the minimum." Sona-kaichou continued to explain. "To tell you the truth, if Kokabiel were to fight seriously, not only this academy, but the whole region would be annihilated. Adding to that, he has already gotten ready for that. My servant has seen him releasing his power at the school grounds."

So that's how it is...

I felt enraged once more.

He tricked Raynare into killing me, he tried to kill the girl I've loved since childhood, and now he was going to destroy my town because he wanted to do what he wished, which was to start a war!?

Don't fuck with me, you shitty crow! I won't let you do as you please! I'm planning to live and enjoy my life in this town with Buchou, Asia and everyone! I won't let you destroy my home!

"My servants and I will continue to place the barrier to reduce the damages. I want to minimise the damages as much as possible… It's hard to prevent having our school getting damaged. But it looks like we have to since it's the leader of the Fallen-Angels who is moving." Kaichou gave a sharp look towards the direction of our school, her eyes filled with hatred second only to my own.

Kokabiel, you're gonna pay for everything you've done up to this point. One way or another.

"Thank you, Sona. We will do the rest from here."

"Rias. Our enemy is a monster with strength above ours. It's still not too late. We should get your Onii-sama…"

Buchou shook her head. "You also didn't call your Onee-sama."

"My Onee-sama is…" Kaichou trailed off. "Your Onii-sama loves you. Sirzechs-sama will definitely move. So…"

"I have already informed Sirzechs-sama." Akeno-san said over their words.

Buchou turned with a face filled with anger towards Akeno-san. "Akeno!"

"Rias. I know that you don't want to cause problems for Sirzechs-sama. It happened in your territory. In your base. And it happened after the family problem. But it's a different story if the leader of the enemy appears. It is a problem that surpasses the level that you can solve. Let's borrow the strength of a Maou." This time it was Akeno-san who was telling off Buchou.

Buchou seemed to accept this, nodding.

"Thank you for understanding the situation, Buchou. Sona-sama, Sirzechs-sama's reinforcement will be here in one hour."

"One hour…I understand. In that time, we, the student council, will vow to continue to place the barriers in the name of Sitri." Kaichou said with a determined expression.

I smirked. "Then, for the moment, leave Kokabiel to us." All eyes ended up being on me as I stood up straight. "The Gremory group will be the ones playing offense. We'll definitely teach Kokabiel why he doesn't just screw with us!" I then remembered that everyone wasn't as vengeful as I was. I saw Koneko-chan just staring at my missing arm with worry while Raynare and Kalawarner both seemed to be incredibly nervous.

"OK. I also know this isn't like our fight against the Phenex. We'll be fighting to the death on this one. But remember we're not fighting just for ourselves. We're fighting for all the people who live in this town. All of our friends and loved ones! This is their town, OUR town! We're fighting with all of their lives resting on our shoulders!" I paused. "That's not to say we should sacrifice our lives. We're all going to survive together! If any of you even think about dying, I'll kick your ass! We're going to survive, then we're gonna kick Kiba's ass for going off on his own, and THEN we're all going to keep attending school together! We'll beat Kokabiel into the ground! Understood?!"

[Right!]

I then realized that I had gone overboard because Buchou was staring at me. I felt my face heat up slightly. "Erm...sorry, Buchou."

She shook her head, smiling. "I don't suppose I could've put it better myself."

"Fujimura, I will leave the rest to you!" Saji said with a look of determination on his face.

I chuckled once at that, putting my fist against Saji's as we wished each other good luck. "Of course. I could beat Kokabiel with one arm tied behind my back. And since one arm was already cut off, I don't have to bother with the rope. Hehehehe..."

There was a round of blank stare from everyone at my joke.

My eyes narrowed. "Ah, screw you guys. That was funny."

You up for this, Ddraig?

[Leave it to me, partner. Our opponent is the Fallen Angel Kokabiel. His power is nothing to scoff at.]

Neither is ours. We may not be quite on the level of a Maou or God, but we'll still show him the power of the Sekiryuutei!

[Hehe. You're one of the few people I've ever known who could maintain such spirit even after having an arm cut off.]

...Does that happen often to your partners?

[...]

Ddraig?

[So yeah! Let's go take Kokabiel down!]

Right on! Let's kick that crow's ass!

* * *

I was actually relieved we took a direct approach through the main gate of the school. The moment I entered, I used my [Promotion] to promote to a [Queen] since I was now in enemy territory. I wasn't able to appreciate the power of the [Queen] during my battle against Riser cos I was half-dead after taking down all of his other pieces.

I doubted my power as a [Queen] was as great as Akeno-san's, but I think I made up for that with my Sacred Gear and my increased physical strength. I focused more on the physical aspect of the [Queen] promotion.

I immediately felt on edge when I saw that bastard, Valper, doing something with the Excaliburs.

In the middle of the school field, there were the four swords that were releasing extreme lights while floating. Having the swords at the center, there was a suspicious looking magic circle spread in the whole school field.

I summoned Blade Genesis on my arm. "What is this...?"

"I'm going to make the four Excaliburs into one." Valper said it as if he found it amusing.

Note to self: After I'm through with Kokabiel, rip that bastard's smug face off.

"Valper. How much longer will it take for the Excaliburs to merge?" I tensed while my blood started to boil as if recognizing that voice.

The voice came from the sky!

I looked up to see the ten-winged crow, Kokabiel. He sat on a floating chair with the moon hovering ominously in the background.

"It won't even take 5 minutes, Kokabiel."

"Is that so? I will leave it to you." Kokabiel then shifted his attention to Buchou. "Is Sirzechs coming? Or is it Serafall?"

"In the places of Oni-sama and Leviathan-sama, we-"

It was the next part that honestly shocked me. A gigantic spear of light was thrown at the gym, erasing it from existence! There was not a single trace of it left!

"Boring. Well that's okay. It will be entertaining."

My hatred for that crow rose to even greater heights.

[Are you scared, partner?]

...Ddraig...Ask that again and you're gonna wish I never became your host. HELL NO! I just want to wipe the smug look off that crow's face!

[If it becomes serious, I will beat him even if I have to turn most of your body into a Dragon. Even if you can't beat him, I will give him damage that will freeze him for an hour. You can leave the rest to the Maou.]

I WILL beat him...Irina...

That last word was a stray thought I couldn't control...

Every time I saw Kokabiel's face, I thought of what he did to Irina and it made me so angry.

I couldn't control it anymore. I ran ahead of the others and glared up at Kokabiel.

"YOU COWARD! COME DOWN HERE AND FACE ME LIKE A MAN, KOKABIEL!"

Kokabiel's eyes narrowed at the sight of me. "While it's tempting to unleash so many centuries of rage on _that person's_blood relative, I doubt you would give me much of a challenge, _Cripple_." He was, of course, referring to my missing arm which had been cut off by Excalibur Rapidly the other day... or...earlier...I don't know. It was kind of around midnight, so I wasn't sure if it was the next day or just later that night. Point is, I had to cut off the rest of my arm to keep from getting killed by the Holy Sword's power.

The only thing that confused me was what he was talking about with me being somebody's blood relative...Was he referring to Oka-sama? It would make sense if he hated a powerful Exorcist's child, but I had the strange feeling that wasn't it.

But I was too angry to explore that thought further. "Don't underestimate me, bastard! I'm going to rip you to shreds! Come down here and FIGHT ME!"

Kokabiel scoffed at that. "It's tempting to just wipe you from existence now, but no. I will have you all fight my pets that I brought from Hell."

I wasn't certain what he was talking about until he snapped his fingers and the ground started to rumble. From the depths of the darkness...a 10 meter tall dog...No. DOGS (as in plural meaning more than one). Two giant black-furred dogs appeared from the ground. The most unsettling thing about them other than their immense size was the fact they both had three heads.

"The guard dog from Hell, Cerberus." Kalawarner explained, appearing next to me.

Buchou seemed uncertain. "To think he brought them to the human world...maybe one we could've handled, but two...?"

**[Reinforce! X12]**

I used twelve reinforcements right off that bat, transferring their power to Bucohu, Akeno-san, Koneko-chan, Raynare, and Kalawarner. I increased all of their magical power (excluding Koneko-chan who received a strength boost). I used two reinforcements for each one of us. It was incredibly draining, but we had to get serious right off the bat.

I summoned a long sword that I held in one hand. "Just because I have one arm doesn't mean I can't kick your ass!" I turned to Buchou. "You, Akeno-san, and Koneko-chan handle that one! Me, Raynare, and Kalawarner will handle this one and back you up in a minute!"

"Shirou-!" I gave Buchou no time to argue. I rushed forward, determined to end this before I ran out of energy. Raynare and Kalawarner followed, hovering close to the ground with their wings.

"OK, you two! Let's discipline this bad dog!" Unlike the others, I had one reinforcement on speed while the other was used on strength.

"Right!"

"Count on me!"

"Send'em back to Hell the hard way!"

I appeared in front of the Cerberus and swung my long sword around with one hand.

CLANG!

The middle dog head caught my sword in-between its teeth while the other two heads raised slightly. I noticed a slight flame building in their mouths, so I jumped back just as a powerful inferno was released on the spot I recently stood in. I growled, releasing my previous sword and created another one.

"Raynare! Kalawarner! Provide a distraction! Try to confuse its heads!"

""Right!""

Kalawarner summoned two swords of light, preparing to engage in close-combat while circling the beast while Raynare summoned more light spears and attacked from a longer distance.

I once again charged the beast, slashing wildly. I got a cut on its front leg, but it lashed out at me with its claws and tried breathing fire on me, forcing me to dodge out of the way. Kalawarner appeared behind the demonic dog, smirking.

"Looks like you're about to be missing something." Kalawarner slashed down at something behind the Cerberus, causing it to yelp in pain.

I looked just in time to see the giant beast's tail drop to the ground with a thud.

Oooh! That's gotta hurt!

GROOOOOOAAAAR!

Now it was pissed. It completely forgot about me and went after Kalawarner who took to the air and switched back to using her light spears from afar to avoid the beast's claws. It unleashed a powerful blast of fire on Kalawarner and I was certain she was doomed, but then a wild barrage of light spears were unleashed from around Kalawarner.

I looked behind her to see Raynare, chucking light spears as quickly as she was creating them. She seemed to be putting forward quite a bit of effort because I could see the slight exhaustion on her face yet determination at the same time as she protected her friend.

But if it came to stamina, Cerberus would win. Even with Kalawarner aiding in defense, they were still relatively weak compared to Cerberus.

...This monster was trying to kill my friends...Once again, a monster was trying to take something precious from me...

"LOOK AT MEEEEE! YOU STUPID MUUUUUUUUUTT!" I leaped high into the air and came down on Cerberus's left head, stabbing my large sword down on its neck. I didn't intend to cut the head off entirely, but that's what happened. Its left head fell to the ground with a bloody, splatty thump-like sound.

The beast let out another loud roar of pain before it turned its flames on me mid-air.

"Damn!" I had no way to dodge mid-air since I've yet to master my Devil wings. I was a sitting duck!

GROOOOAAAR!

I was surprised by that last howl, but then I noticed the several long spears of light that had pinned themselves into the front paws of the Cerberus.

"Don't you lay a hand on him!" Kalawarner screamed at the beast. I smiled gratefully as I rolled across the ground when I landed.

"Time to finish this!" I once again ran towards the beast, this time sliding under it as it swiped at me with its free claw, determined to get payback for its fallen head. I slid under its belly, shoving my sword upwards into its stomach, cutting through its torso as I passed under it.

Blood spewed from the new wound in its underbelly, painting the ground below a dark-red color.

I rolled before I regained my footing and stood up straight. I released me bloody sword and held out my hand open at the Cerberus's back. A small ball of energy appeared in the palm of my hand.

[Reinforce!]

I used it on my magical power and the small sphere in my palm grew in size by a few inches and it turned blue in color.

My blue Dragon Shot...

"BURN IN HELL, YOU FILTHY MONGREL!" I launched the energy towards the Cerberus. "[REINFORCED DRAGON SHOT]!"

The Cerberus vanished in a sea of blue energy, a final howl being all that was heard of it as it perished.

I released several of the reinforcements I placed on my power to lessen the amount of my power being exhausted.

I glared at Kokabiel who had a slightly surprised expression due to my blue Dragon Shot, but still seemed relatively bored.

I wanted to attack him so badly...

"The others, Shirou." Raynare reminded me with a worried look.

I exhaled, clenching my teeth and fighting back my anger. "Yeah. I know." Avenging Irina would have to wait for now.

Just wait, Iri...

It was taking every last ounce of my willpower to keep from turning back to Kokabiel. Every fiber of my being wanted to attack him, to make him pay for what he did to Irina. I wanted to kill him...

I looked to the others. Even with a power boost I gave them with my reinforcements, Buchou and Akeno-san have yet to finish off their Cerberus, but it looked like it was going down soon.

I was about to run towards them when-

GAAAAAAAAOOOOO!

I tensed when I saw another Cerberus appear out of the darkness. It's...It's going for Asia!

I started running towards her, but I knew I would never make it in time.

I could use reinforcements on my speed, but I would probably have to take away reinforcements from the others so I could pull it off. But, Asia...

As it turned out, I didn't have to make that choice.

Before I sprung into action, someone cut off one of its heads...

It was Xenovia!

"I have come to back you up."

OK, she earned some redemption points by saving Asia. I'll give her that.

She slashed the torso of the Cerberus with her Excalibur. The Cerberus' torso split in half after receiving a fatal strike and turned to dust.

I smirked. I turned to Buchou and Akeno-san.

"Buchou! Akeno-san! Take this last reinforcement! Finish that mutt!" I'd been practicing in giving reinforcements from a distance. I'd say it was coming along rather well. I could manage one or two from afar at a time.

**[Reinforce! X2]**

This time, rather than reinforcing just their demonic power, I reinforced something more specific: their respective powers like Buchou's [Power of Destruction] and Akeno-san's thunder.

They both smiled at me.

"I think this should be enough."

"Yes. We can do it."

I nodded. I think I could feel their power increase from where I stood.

"…We can do this." Akeno-san nodded to Buchou's daring smile.

"Akeno!"

"Yes! Thunder! Resound!"

Akeno-san pointed her fingers to the sky and started to control the thunder. Her fingers were aimed towards the Cerberus. It tried to run away, but it had trouble due to the countless Demonic Swords that shot out of the ground and stabbed into it.

"I won't let you escape." My eyes widened as I turned to see a familiar, stupid prince. I couldn't help but admit that that power was impressive.

Akeno-san then unleashed an impressive thunder attack that reduced the Cerberus to what I believed to be less than nothing.

I was about to cheer when-

GAAAAAOOOOOOOO!

WHAT?! ANOTHER ONE!? ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?

Where is it?

I looked around, but I couldn't see the-

"Shirou, look out!" I turned around too late as something large with black fur came at me, slamming and pinning me to the ground with one of its paws. I glared at the Cerberus as it tried to rip me to shreds with the fangs of its middle head's mouth. I quickly summoned a sword to block its attack, causing it to clamp down hard on my sword's metal.

It was hard holding it back with just one arm. With both, I probably could've pushed it off of me, but that was not the case.

I was certain I was royally fucked when the other two heads opened their mouths and prepared to turn me into one crispy critter.

Then-

_HIIISSSSSSSSS!_

Wait! I recognize that hissing!

The Cerberus didn't know what hit it when a large, violet, and very beautiful being leaped out of nowhere and slammed into it with the force of a bullet train, knocking it off of me.

"_KEEP YOUR SHITTY PAWS OFF OF MY MASTER!"_

"Sakura!" I was stunned by her appearance. Then again, Xenovia and Kiba were here, so it'd only make sense that Sakura would arrive as well.

"_Please, allow me to redeem myself, Master. You gave me an order, but I failed to protect your fiancee. I am sorry."_

There was genuine regret in Sakura's voice.

I watched in shock and awe as Sakura easily coiled her body around the Cerberus, tangling it up with her body. The Cerberus struggled as Sakura's body tightened. I knew what was going to happen before the horrible _snap_that came as Sakura crushed every single one of the Cerberus' bones.

That wasn't all.

Sakura reared her head around one end of the Cerberus' body, opening her mouth.

She swallowed the giant dog in one gulp.

I just stared as the lump that was the Cerberus' corpse moved further into Sakura body before shrinking and becoming nothing.

Wow...I guess Sakura has some strong stomach acids. That would explain how she is able to eat so much food at once.

I walked to Sakura and gently rubbed the length of her body, smiling.

"You did good, Sakura. Irina wasn't your fault."

"_Master...I'm...I'm happy your safe..."_It sounded like Sakura was crying.

I found myself smiling. The anger I felt before subsided somewhat. I felt more in-control than I did before. Sakura may have just kept me from doing something stupid.

"It's fine, Sakura. You're a very good girl." I then leaped on her giant head and smirked. "Now what's say we go give Kokabiel a piece of our minds!?" Sakura then proceeded to slither back to regroup with the others, Raynare and Kalawarner following after us.

I looked ahead to see Buchou pointing her hands at Kokabiel.

"Take this, Kokabiel!"

DOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNN!

The gigantic mass of demonic energy that shot out of Buchou's hands as ten times bigger than her previous ones. I couldn't help but feel impressed how much stronger her power was with only a few reinforcements.

Kokabiel held out one hand to stop the attack.

...  
I froze in shock at the sight I saw.

Kokabiel didn't even seem to flinch when he blocked the attack.

Kokabiel faced his palm towards the sky. The shot that was fired by Buchou changed its direction and went up to the sky and disappeared. Kokabiel showed his malicious smile after seeing the smoke coming out of his hand.

"I see. Rias Gremory's power would grow this much because of the power of Sekiryutei. Interesting. This is very interesting indeed. Kukuku." The bastard was laughing at us. That caused my rage to boil again. I leaped off of Sakura's head and stood a bit behind Buchou as Sakura reverted to human form.

"…It's complete." I tensed.

Shit! I forgot about Valper! He said "it's complete"! What does that mean?!

"The four Excaliburs are going to become one."

Then the four Excaliburs that were placed on the center of the school field started giving out divine light that spread throughout the school field. Because of its brightness, we covered our faces with our hands. When I stared at the center of the school field, I saw that the four Excaliburs were put on top of each other. Excalibur that was originally one. It was split into seven, but four of them were going to become one.

When the bright lights vanished, there was only one Holy Sword. One Excalibur, created by fusing four together. It gave out a bluish-white aura.

"Because of the light created by the Excalibur when it turned into one, the spell on the ground is also complete. This town will collapse within 20 minutes. The only way to dispel it is by beating Kokabiel."

I couldn't believe what that geezer said.

I-I knew that there was a chance Kokabiel would go all out and damage the town...but t-twenty minutes?

...Kiryuu ...Matsuda ...Motohama...Mako-nee...

The Maou won't come in time! There...There has to be something we can do to stop this!

"Freed!"

Kokabiel called out the name of that shitty priest.

"What's up, Boss?" Freed emerged from the darkness. I knew he was hiding somewhere.

"Use the Excalibur in the circle. It shall be the last entertainment. Fight while using the Excalibur that has turned into one from the four Excaliburs."

"Yeah yeah. Geez. My Boss sure uses people recklessly. But but! It's like I'm so honoured to use the Excalibur-chan that has become super wonderful! Something like that? Uhehehe! I will just chop some Devils now!" Freed then took hold of the Excalibur from the center of the circle.

A fused Excalibur...Kokabiel...The town...

All of my rage...all of my sorrow...all of my determination...it began to slowly turn to despair.

I only had one arm and Buchou's attacks couldn't lay a scratch on the crow. I...I didn't see any way we could defeat him within twenty minutes...

Sakura stared at me worriedly. "Master..."

Then Xenovia turned to Kiba.

"Rias Gremory's Knight. If the cooperation is still valid, let us destroy that Excalibur together."

"Is it okay?"

Xenovia laughed. "At worst, it won't be a problem if I collect the "fragment" of the Excalibur that is acting as the core of it. Since Freed is wielding it, that is a holy-sword but it isn't a holy-sword. Even if it's a holy-sword, it's the same as any other weapon. It changes depending on the person using it. That is a sword of heresy."

Valper laughed at the two.

Kiba stepped forward. "Valper Galilei. I am a survivor of the Holy Sword Project. No. I am the one who was killed by you to be more precise. I have continued living by being reincarnated into a Devil."

"Hou. The survivor of that project. This is such a misfortune. To meet you in a far east country like this. I feel fate. Fufufu." Disgusting words from a disgusting man. "You see. I like Holy Swords. I like them so much that they come out in my dreams. Possibly because my heart was fascinated by the legend of Excalibur since I was a child. That's why when I found out that I can't use Excalibur I went into despair."

No one gives a damn, shitty geezer.

"I held admiration for those who can wield it because I couldn't. That feeling became so powerful that I started an experiment to create those who can use them. Then it was complete. It's thanks to you and the others."

Kiba raised his eyebrow doubtfully. "What? Complete? You disposed of us after finding us to be a failure."

Every time I thought of Valper using and then killing Kiba and his friends, my rage was reignited...only to continually fade to a single ember before vanishing. I was too busy trying to find a way to stop Kokabiel before our time is up.

"I realised that there was an essential factor needed to wield holy-swords. So I used the numerical value of the "factors" to investigate its capability. Most of the test subjects had the "elements" but they didn't have the numerical value needed to wield the Excalibur. Then I reached a conclusion. Is there a way to take out the elements and gather them?."

Xenovia seemed to see the truth. "I see. I understand now. The thing that is put inside the Holy Sword wielders when they received a blessing is…"

Valper continued to speak.

"That's right Holy Sword wielder girl. We take out the holy-elements from those who have them and crystallize them. Just like this."

Then the bastard took out some sort of shiny orb...that element...

"With this, the research on Holy Sword wielders improved. Even so, those fools from the Church banished me for heresy and took away my reports on the research. By looking at you, I see that the project was succeeded by someone. That Michael. He made me look like a criminal and this is the result? Well it's that Angel we are talking about. Even if he takes the elements out from the test subjects, he wouldn't go as far as to kill them. That part only would make him more human than me. Kukukuku."

"Don't spew such bullshit!" I shouted all of a sudden. Valper turned and glared down at me. "This and that are two different things! You massacred innocent children! You were made to look like a criminal and a monster because you ARE one! I can't say I agree with the Church for being such hypocrites, but what they did and what you did are WORLDS AWAY from being the same thing!"

Valper curled his lip in disgust at me. "Just like that bitch mother of yours. You understand nothing of the greatness of my work. Necessary sacrifices had to be made, but that woman stubbornly stood in the way of progress."

"…You killed my comrades and took out the elements needed to wield the Holy Swords?" Kiba asked Balba with his voice filled with killing intent. "THAT is your 'necessary sacrifice'?"

I felt more pissed off that the bastard had called my mother a bitch. THAT was what made me really wanna knock his teeth in.

"That's right. This orb is from back then. I have used three of them on Freed though. This is the last one."

"Hyahahahaha! Other guys besides me died because their bodies couldn't synchronise with the elements! Hmmmmm. If I think like that, that makes me special."

So, their comrades who stole the Excaliburs died. I honestly wish that Freed had taken their place.

"You thought that guys like me would end up being tough, didn't you Shirou-kun? No, no. I won't die easily like that."

Bummer.

"…Valper Galilei. How many lives have you sacrificed for your greed and experiments…" Kiba's hands were shaking and there was an aura of anger coming out of his body.

"Hm. If you say that, then I will give this orb to you. My research has reached the stage where it is possible to mass produce them in the right environment. First of all, I will destroy this town with Kokabiel. Next I will gather the legendary Holy Swords stored around the world. Then I will mass produce Holy Sword wielders and start a war against Michael and the Vatican with the combined Excaliburs. I'm going to show the result of my research to those foolish Angels and their followers who have convicted me."

Filthy warmongers! Bastards! They have no care for who gets hurt! What is the point in any of that!?

Valper threw away the orb as if he had lost interest in it. It rolled on the ground and went to Kiba's foot. Kiba leaned down silently and picked it up. He patted the orb sadly, lovingly, and dearly.

"…Everyone…" A tear rolled down Kiba's cheek. His expression was filled with an intense amount of anger and sorrow.

Then it happened. The orb that Kiba held started giving out shallow lights. The lights started to spread and it eventually covered the whole school field. From the ground there were lights coming out and it started to form a shape. Then it formed into a proper shape. It took the shape of people. There were boys and girls who were giving out blue-white lights and they were surrounding Kiba.

My eyes widened. Could it be...?

"The various powers that are present on this battlefield made the spirits within the orbs appear." Akeno-san said. I could believe that. With everything that was going on, spirits from an orb filled with their light element wasn't the craziest thing I've seen.

"Everyone! I…I!"

These children...They never had a chance...all because of that goddamned project...

I wonder...did you begin to object to the project because you see these same sad faces, Oka-sama...?

Kiba seemed so sad as well...

"…I have always…always thought about it. Was it all right that I was the only one that survived… There were those who had more dreams than me. There were those who wanted to live more than me. Is it all right that I am the only one to have a peaceful life…"

Raynare had a sad expression while Kalawarner averted her eyes, clearly holding back tears. I didn't know what to do.

Then one boy's spirit smiled and it seemed like he wanted to say something.

"…[Don't worry about us any more. You are alive at least]. That's what they are saying." Akeno-san explained.

Then they started moving their lips...they were singing...

That song...

I felt my self sway in response to it...more images came to the front of my mind...

A beautiful woman with white hair...a hill under a cherry blossom tree...she sang that same exact song...

Oka-sama...

"…The sacred song." Asia mumbled. She seemed surprised when she saw me. "Shirou-san..."

I was crying. I didn't know why or what about the song caused it, but I just felt so vulnerable, as if every defense around me was pierced by the beautiful melody...

Kiba cried while shedding tears, starting to sing along with them.

The children's bodies began to glow with Kiba standing in the middle of them.

[We were no good alone.]

[We didn't have enough elements to wield the holy swords. But.]

[It will be okay if we are together.]

It was a song that was supposed to harm Devils, but I felt nothing but warmth...It was if the song resonated with something deep inside of me.

[You have to accept the holy-sword.]

[It's not scary.]

[Even if God is watching.]

[Our hearts are always…]

[ONE.]

Their spirits went up into the heaven and they turned into a big light that fell down to Kiba.

[Partner. Sacred Gears change and evolve while using the feelings of the possessors as a key. But there is a different territory to that. When the feelings and the wishes of the possessor does a dramatic change that it changes the flow of this world, the Sacred Gear reaches it. Yes. He's achieved it.]

What?

[Balance Breaker.]

The light that split the abyss night looked as if it was giving blessings to Kiba.

* * *

**Yuuto's POV...**

I have the best comrades now. Shirou-kun, Koneko-chan, and Sakura-chan. They helped me, who was driven by vengeance. I thought about it while searching for the Holy Sword-wielder. There are comrades who would help me.

"Valper Galilei, as long as I don't take down the evil thing right in front of me, there will be a repitition of the event that happened to me."

"Hmph. It's been said for a long time that research always comes with sacrifices. Haven't you realised that yet?"

You certainly are evil!

"OOOOOIIIII! Kibaaaaaa! Cut down that dipshit priest and Excalibur!" It was Shirou-kun... "Don't forget! You're a [Knight] of Gremory group! You're my friend! Give these bastards a taste of our true power! Don't waste everyone's feelings and spirit!

...My friend...you lost your arm because of my hesitation and still you remained by my side, cheering me on...You have helped me. Even if you wouldn't profit from it. Even if you might have received punishment from our master…

"Yuuto! Do it! You have to finish this yourself! Surpass Excalibur! You are the servant of I, Rias Gremory! My Knight will not lose to a mere Excalibur!"

"Yuuto-kun! I believe in you!"

"Don't waste Master's trust in you, Yuuto-kun!"

Buchou...Akeno-san...Sakura-chan...

"…Yuuto-senpai!"

"Please do your best!"

"Teach these bastards a lesson!"

"Surpass that Excalibur, Kiba!"

Koneko-chan...Asia-chan...Kalawarner-san...Raynare-san...

"We're all standing by you, Kiba! We're with you all the way!" I couldn't help but feel yet another boost of strength from everyone's words...

Everyone...

"Hahaha! Why are you crying? You were singing with joy with the ghost-chan. It's really a nuisance. It's totally the worst. You know I hate that song. Just listening to it makes the hair on my skin crawl! I don't want to hear it any more. I'm totally at my limit! I'm going to cut you into pieces and calm myself! With this ultimate Excalibur that has merged 4 of them!"

Freed Zelzan. My comrades' spirits reside within you. I can't allow you to do evil deeds with them any longer! These tears I have are tears of determination.

"…I will become a sword."

My comrades. My comrades who have merged with my spirit. Let us overcome it together. The feelings we couldn't say back then! The wishes we couldn't fulfil back then! Right now, right here!

"I shall become the sword of Buchou and my comrades! Please respond to my feelings now! Sword Birth!"

My Sacred Gear and the spirits of my comrades mixed. It started to align and formed a shape. The demonic power and the holy power were combining.

Yes, this sensation. My Sacred Gear was…my comrade was telling me-that this is sublimation. It was giving out divine light and an ominous aura. What appeared in my hand was a single sword… It's completed, everyone.

"Balance Breaker [Sword of the Betrayer]. You shall receive the power of this sword that has both the power of light and demonic powers with your own body." I ran towards Freed.

My trait as a Knight was speed! Freed tried to grasp my movement with his eyes, but I got out of his sight by doing a few feints.

Even so, Freed blocked my strike. Seriously. You are quite a skilled, exiled-exorcist. But the aura that was covering his Excalibur was being erased by my sword.

"That sword surpasses the originator of holy-swords!?"

"If that was the true Excalibur, then I could not have won against it. But that Excalibur cannot cut the feelings of me and my comrades!"

Freed clicked his tongue in response and stepped back after he pushed me.

"Stretccccccch!"

His Excalibur started to twist as if it were alive! It moved randomly and came towards me with intense speed! The ability of Excalibur Mimic! I see. It has four of the abilities. Then his sword split into two at the tip of the blade, and started to come at me with god speed. This is the ability of Excalibur Rapidly. If I remember, its trait was its velocity. It accurately tried to pierce me from every direction, but I blocked each strike. Your killing intent is easy to read. If I know which direction the killing intent is coming from, parrying it is very easy.

"Why!? Why isn't it hitting!? You are supposed to be the unrivalled holy-sword-sama, aren't you!? Weren't you supposed to have lots of legends of being the ultimate sword!?" Freed shouted. His expression was filled with both enjoyment and impatience. "Then! Then I have to add this as well!"

The tip of the holy-sword disappeared. Transparency pheromone? This is the power of "Excalibur Transparency". The ability to make the blade transparent. But if he doesn't change the direction of his killing intent, even if I can't see the blade...

GIIN! GIN! GIN! GIIIN!

The transparent sword and my sword made sparks. I was parrying all of his attacks.

"Yes. Keep him there like that." Xenovia suddenly intruded. She held the Holy Sword in her left hand, and put her right hand in the air.

She started to chant something.

"Saint Peter. Saint Basil the Great. Saint Denis. Holy-mother Mary. Please hear my voice."

What was she trying to do? I was in doubt, but the space in front of me got distorted. Xenovia put her hand in the middle of the distorted space. She put her hand in, and pulled something right out of the dimensional gap. What appeared was a single sword that gave out a holy aura.

"...Durandal..." I turned in surprise to Shirou-kun who eyed the sword with a strange, faraway look. Like it was him yet someone else at the same time staring at the blade. I couldn't even be sure what I saw because he snapped out of it, blinking twice.

"In the names of the saints whom reside within this blade, I will release it. Durandal!"

I couldn't believe it...H-How did Shirou-kun know?

Then I remembered what he said about his Sacred Gear. With [Blade Genesis], he told me he could see the blueprints, names, and abilities of a great number of weapons. Some well-known while others not-so-much...Does that mean that he can recognize swords like Durandal?

"Durandal!?"

"You were not the wielder of the Excalibur!?"

Not just Valper, even Kokabiel couldn't hide his astonishment.

Xenovia shook her head. "Wrong. I was originally the wielder of Durandal. I was also chosen as the holder of the Excalibur. That's all."

Xenovia made a stance with Durandal. Two-sword style along with the Excalibur.

"Absurd! According to my research, we haven't reached the stage where someone can wield Durandal!?"

"Of course. Even in the Vatican, they haven't made someone who can wield Durandal artificially." Xenovia said it clearly to the shocked Valper.

"Then why!?"

"Unlike those common artificial Holy Sword wielders like Irina, I'm a natural born wielder."

So unlike us, she's a natural Holy Sword wielder.

"Durandal is a sword that ravages beyond what people can imagine. It cuts anything it touches. It doesn't even listen to me most of the time. That's why I have to keep it in another dimension, otherwise it would be dangerous. Even I, the holder, has a hard time with it. Now, Freed Zelzan. Thanks to you, we can have the decisive battle between Excalibur and Durandal. Right now, I'm shaking with enjoyment. Don't die in a single strike okay? At least use the Excalibur to its fullest!"

The blade of Durandal started to give out more holy-aura than the Excalibur Freed held. That aura! It had more power than my Holy-Demonic Sword!

"Is that even allowed!? It became a situation like this! You shitty bitch! I don't need any of that for this setting!"

Freed shouted and moved his killing intent to Xenovia. I couldn't see with my eyes, but he probably slashed his transparent sword towards her.

With a single side slash, the Excalibur shattered. Because of the pressure given by the swing of Durandal, there was a big hole in the school field.

"So it's just a broken Holy Sword, huh. It can't even compete with my Durandal."

Xenovia made a sigh while looking bored. What an incredible power. It can't even be compared with her Excalibur Destruction.

"Are you serious!? Are you really serious!? The legendary Excalibur-chan is shattered into pieces!? Horrible! This is really horrible! Kaaaa! Was it wrong to use something that was broken from the start? The shallowness of humans. The foolishness of the Church. I want to grow up while taking a glimpse of it!"

His killing intent became weak, and I went right at him! He also couldn't respond to it! Checkmate! He tried to block my Holy-demonic sword with the remnants of his Excalibur but…

A shallow shattering sound echoed. The sound of the Excalibur crumbling.

"Did you see it? Our powers have surpassed Excalibur."

I cut down Freed as soon as I shattered the Excalibur.

Freed fell down while blood came out of the wound I made from his shoulder to the side of his stomach.

I won…

We surpassed the Excalibur. I gripped the Holy-demonic sword hard and looked up to the sky. Rather than an inexpressible feeling, it felt like losing my aim was greater. It felt like the only reason I was living…the only reason I was allowed to live…disappeared.

"Yahoo! Way to go, Kiba!" Shirou-kun was grinning, throwing his fist into the air. He then shot a reluctant look of respect at Xenovia. "And...you did good, too, priest girl." Shirou then glared up at the Fallen Angel Kokabiel. I was surprised by the hatred he held in his gaze. It was controlled, but it was hatred nonetheless. "One down, one shitty crow to go."

"Ho…Holy-Demonic sword…? Impossible… The polar opposite of two things cannot merge…"

Valper Galilei made a strong expression. That's right. It hasn't finished yet. As long as I don't defeat him, the tragedy will continue. We cannot allow other people to meet the same fate as us.

"Valper Galilei. Prepare yourself."

I pointed my Holy-demonic sword at him and tried to slash at him. Now my comrades. Let's finish it with this! Let's finish everything!

"…I see! I understand now! Holy and Demonic. It will be an explanation, if the beings that represent the two become unbalanced! Then not only the Maou but the God has also…"

STAB.

A spear of light pierced through Valper's chest, who seemed like he realized something.

Valper went down after throwing a solid amount of blood. I went up to him to confirm his state. And he had already passed away.

"Valper, you were remarkable. The reason you went up to that conclusion proves that. But, I don't mind whether you are with me or not. I could have done it by myself from the beginning."

Kokabiel who was up in the air was sneering. The one who killed Balba was Kokabiel.

"Hahahaha! Kahahahahahahahaha!"

Kokabiel laughed loudly and landed on the ground. An overwhelming pressure. The leader of the Fallen Angels finally stood in front of us while sending out an intense aura and confidence.

The only person unaffect was-

"Shirou!" Buchou called out in shock as my white-haired friend approached Kokabiel without fear.

There was a dark look in his eyes.

The Cadre-level Fallen Angel and Shirou stood far apart from one another, but the hatred between the two was incredibly apparent.

Kokabiel's grin seemed to hide a strange emotion that I could just barely sense...Fear?

"So-"

"[DRAGON SHOOOOOT]!" Kokabiel had only uttered one word before Shirou-kun had unleashed a large blast of red energy at Kokabiel. With a flick of his wrist, Kokabiel blocked the shot and redirected it towards the sky.

The rage on Shirou's face was even more clear than before.

"I'll beat the shit out of you for what you did to Irina!"

Kokabiel seemed more at ease than before after Shirou's first attack. "Huh. I honestly expected something stronger from someone carrying _his_ blood." Kokabiel started laughing again, this time a touch of relief in his voice.

But what did me mean about someone "carrying _his_ blood"?

Shirou-kun only seemed to get angrier. Despite this, he smirked. "You're one cocky sonnuva bitch."

Kokabiel smiled fearlessly. "That ability of yours...[Reinforcement]. Use that power as much as you'd like. Give me your best shot."

"Are you underestimating me?!" Shirou-kun asked with even greater rage. "Don't fuck with me, bastaaaaard!"

"Underestimating? Hahaha. You hold none of the power your predecessors carried. I'm estimating you just about right. Do you guys think you can defeat me?"

Shirou-kun bared his teeth. "I'll show you why you don't fuck around with the Gremory group."

**[Reinforce! X10]**

I felt a huge amount of power explode out of Shirou-kun even from the distance I stood away from him.

There was also a clear expression of exhaustion on Shirou-kun's face. He was clearly reaching his limit. He had spent the entire battle fighting and reinforcing the others.

He created a sphere of energy in his hand that I realized was blue rather than the usual red. It was also a bit larger than his usual Dragon Shot's initial form.

I felt the great amount of aura from his with my skin, and an enormous amount of power was created within his hand. An amount that seemed like it wouldn't even leave a single speck of dust. If you were hit by that, the majority of people would perish. But his opponent was…

"Fuhahaha! Good! That flow of demonic power! The demonic-power I can feel right now is that of an Ultimate-Class devil. A little bit more then you would reach that of a Maou! Looks like you have a potential equal to that of your predecessors!"

The Fallen Angel leader laughed as if he was truly enjoying it. His expression was coloured in ecstasy. He was feeling…pleasure for War!

"**BURN IN HELL, YOU SON OF A BITCH!**"

Shirou-kun unleashed a gigantic blast of demonic power that was coated in a strange aura that felt alien yet familiar at the same time. Like it was connected to my very soul as a Devil.

DOOOOOOOOOOOON!

It made a shock wave that felt like it shook the ground, and the powerful shot was heading towards Kokabiel. With his hand… No, with both his hands put in front of him, he tried to deflect it. The shock wave from the attack shattered all of the school windows even though it didn't come close to the actual buildings.

Kokabiel's arms ended up getting torn and lots of cuts appeared on his hands and arms! Blood was coming from the wounds! But the attack started to lose its shape! It still hurt him though, and he is having a hard time getting rid of it!

"Lightning!"

"Take this!"

Akeno-san and Buchou shot out a combination of lightning and Power of Destruction at Kokabiel while he was focused on Shirou-kun's attack. But the attack dissipated with a single beat of Kokabiel's wings.

"Will you stand in my way!? The one who inherited her power from Barakiel!?"

"…Do not put me in the same group as him!"

Akeno-san widened her eyes and got enraged. She continued to use lightning and Buchou used her Power of Destruction, but they were all deflected by Kokabiel's wings.

Barakiel is the leader of the Fallen Angels. A thunder user who has the alias Holy-Lightning. In terms of basic fighting ability, he is said to be on par with the Governor of the fallen-angels, Azazel.

"Barakiel-sama's daughter...?"

"...So shocking..." Both Raynare-san and Kalawarner-san expressed immense surprise and shock at the fact that Barakiel was Akeno-san's...

Shirou-kun's attack was eventually nullified by Kokabiel. Kokabiel's arms were a mess. They were damaged, but he could still move them easily though. Kokabiel was harmed by Shirou-kun then!

Shirou-kun was panting though, staring in shock at the fact his attack was nullified.

"For you to become a Devil! Hahaha! You have pleasant servants, Rias Gremory! Sekiryuutei whose ancestor I hate! The left-over of the Holy Sword Project who reached Balance Breaker! And the daughter of Barakiel! You have weird tastes, just like your brother!"

"I won't forgive you for insulting my brother…our Maou! More than that, the insults you made to my servants will require your life!"

Kokabiel laughed with his nose at Buchou's anger.

"Then try to destroy me! Maou's sister! The owner of the Welsh Dragon and descendant of my most hated enemy! Crimson-hair Ruin Princess! The one whom you are up against is someone who has been an arch-enemy of the Devils since a long time ago! If you don't see this as a chance, then your reputation will be looked down on!"

Kokabiel. I don't know how much my Holy-Demonic sword can go against him, but I have to do it!

"Don't underestimate us!" Shirou-kun stood behind me. Even though he had used up quite a bit of power, Shirou-kun still held a determination to fight...Even when he should barely have the energy to stand, he fought by my side and supported me.

I blinked. I felt funny all of a sudden...No! No time to dwell on that now!

Shirou-kun and I moved quickly, suddenly appearing in front of Kokabiel, intending to put an end to him. Smirking arrogantly, Kokabiel expanded his wings and took flight. However, I jumped at Shirou-kun who had his hand ready to launch me and landed on his hand. He acted as a support and launched me at the Fallen Angel leader. I began summoning swords and started slashing at the airborne angel.

"Haaaaaah!" Xenovia jumped into the air as well, preparing her Durandal to slash at Kokabiel.

Kokabiel created swords of light with his hands, and blocked both of our attacks without much effort.

"Hmph! Durandal huh! Unlike the Excalibur that was already broken once, that light is the real thing! Buuuuut-!"

The air shook, and there was a buzzing in my ears. Kokabiel emitted an air wave from his other hand and made Xenovia's body float. Then Kokabiel kicked Xenovia's stomach.

"Gaa!"

Xenovia flew back with an anguished cry.

"It depends on the wielder. Girl! You still can't control Durandal! The previous wielder was someone who had unrivalled strength!"

Xenovia adjusted her stance in the air and landed on the ground. She then went on slashing towards him once again. I also continued slashing towards him at the same time!

"Kokabiel! I will eliminate you with my Holy-Demonic sword! I'm not allowed to lose anyone any more!"

"Ho! Attacks at the same time from a Holy Sword and a Holy-Demonic sword! Interesting! Good indeed! Come! You can't defeat me unless you do that much!" Kokabiel continued using his own light swords to block our attacks. In terms of swordskills, Kokabiel was above us!

"There!"

"Don't forget us!"

Koneko-chan and Sakura-chan with her transformed arm both threw a punch from behind Kokabiel.

"Naïve!"

His black wings turned into sharp blades-

"DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!"

Even I was surprised by the voice. Shirou-kun appeared above Kokabiel, swinging his fist down on the Fallen Angel's head.

Kokabiel was knocked downwards somewhat, but he quickly recovered, angrier than he had been before.

"DIE!" The black wings that had become sharp blades changed targets to Shirou-kun!

"GAAAAAH!" Shirou-kun screamed as the blades cut up his body, causing him immense pain.

[SHIROU!]

His body fell to the ground as blood spewed out of his wounds. Raynare-san and Kalawarner-san quickly flew to his rescue before his body could hit the ground, catching him safely. I couldn't tell how severe Shirou's wounds were, but he didn't seem to be moving. The thought of what could've happened to him made my heart stop.

"Hey, looking away while fighting will easily get you killed!"

I let my guard down because of the damage Shirou-kun took and Kokabiel's sword of light came at me.

GIIIIN!

"Wha…!"

A crack appeared on my Holy-demonic sword! Ku! The strength of the solidness depended on my thinking. If I lost my concentration for a moment, then for that period of time, the hardness of my sword will go down as well. He grasped into that slight instant.

DON!

Xenovia, Sakura-chan, Koneko-chan, and I were helpless against the shockwave created by Kokabiel's body which sent us flying. I somehow fixed my stance…But we were breathing hard.

…We can't win. That's what went through my mind. The power difference between us is absolute. Even though I reached Balance Breaker, there was still this much difference. The leader of the Fallen Angels, he's this strong!? No! I have to put that thought aside! We have to win! We can't survive unless we win! I will win and live on!

Asia-chan went to Shirou-kun's side. Asia-chan's Sacred Gear activated and started to heal Shirou-kun's wounds. That's a relief. With this, Shirou-kun's life will be safe.

"Kokabiel! It's not over yet!"

I put strength into my Holy-Demonic sword and stood up again! The crack on my sword disappeared and I went forward slashing towards him with no flaws!

"Hahaha! You still come at me? All right! Come!"

"Holy-Demonic sword."

ZAN!

I surrounded the fallen-angel by making swords covered with holy and demonic aura. With this I made my opponent stuck in that position. The only thing left was to attack then!

"You think you've captured me with this?"

The 10 wings of Kokabiel, who was smirking, started to become like swords and began breaking the swords around with ease. Ku! It didn't work! I went forward slashing at him from the front. But the fallen-angel didn't flinch at all, and he stopped my Holy-demonic sword with just two fingers!

"Is this it?"

Kokabiel sighed. My Holy-Demonic sword that had been stopped couldn't be moved at all! I created another Holy-Demonic sword but that was also stopped with his other two fingers.

It's not over yet! I opened my mouth wide, and imagined to create a Holy-demonic sword around my mouth. The third one! I held the grip with my teeth, and moved my neck to the side roughly! It seemed like he didn't think of the third strike. He let go of my swords and stepped back. Did he receive damage from that attack just then? When I checked Kokabiel, there was a single scratch on his cheek. There was a bit of blood coming out of it.

Even with that attack, I could only give him that much damage. So this was the power of one of the top echelons of Fallen Angels… Everyone here was making expressions of despair and breathed violently. Only Kokabiel who was at an advantage was smirking.

"But. Seeing that even after losing the masters you serve, you Devils and followers of God can still fight, huh?!"

"What the Hell are you talking about, you shitty crow!?" I looked to see Shirou-kun. He was panting, sitting up on the ground next to Asia-chan, Raynare-san, and Kalawarner-san who were trying to keep him from standing up and getting even more injured.

Kokabiel clicked his tongue in irritation. "You truly are _his_ descendant. You're just as annoying."

Shirou-kun just smirked. "Well if it's for you, I'm honored to be a pain in the ass. Now what is it you were saying before?!"

"Fuhaha...fuhahahahahahahahahaha! That's right! I totally forgot! The truth wasn't revealed to you lower guys! Then I will tell you. In the war between the three sides, not only the Maou but also God died."

Wh…what… What did he just say…? Everyone here was shocked and couldn't believe what he just said. Even Shirou-kun had a look of shock on his face.

"It's normal for you guys to not know about it. Who can say that God has died? Humans are an incomplete bunch. Without God, they cannot control their hearts and obey the laws, you know? Even us, the Fallen Angels, and Devils couldn't tell this to those below us. You won't know where the information about God will be leaked from. Even among the three-powers, only the people at the top and certain people know about it. Though it seems Valper noticed it earlier."

…God didn't exist any more? No…that couldn't be… It was impossible… Then what did we believe in while living in that institute…?

"After the War, what was left were the Angels who had lost their God, the Devils that lost their Maou and the majority of High-class Devils and the FallenAngels who lost most of the Fallen Angels apart from the leaders. So it wasn't a mere exhausted state. All of the factions fell so low, that they had to rely on humans to continue their generations. Especially the Angels and Fallen Angels that could only continue their generation by mating with humans."

"...Lie...It's a lie..." Xenovia began trembling with a panicked expression. She would've probably have collapsed to her knees if an unlikely person hadn't helped her stay up by grabbing her arm.

"Baka..." Shirou-kun stared at the Exorcist with a strange expression. It held no specific type of emotion. It was an admonishing expression if anything. "Is that all you got? You're ready to drop dead because of words...Just stay strong, idiot..."

Xenovia still seemed weak, but somehow Shirou-kun's words kept her from dropping to the ground.

"The truth is that another big war wouldn't happen unless you do it on purpose. It means that all three-sides went through hell in the past war. Everyone decided that it was meaningless to continue having a war if the start of it all, God and the Maou, were dead. Even that bastard Azazel declared that "there is no second war" after losing the majority of his men in the war! It's hard to bear! It truly is hard to bear! To lower your gun once you already shot it!? Don't fuck around. Don't fuck around! If we continued on from there, we could have won! Even so, he...! Is there any value in fallen-angels who can only live by inviting humans who possess Sacred Gears!?"

"That's what Azazel-sama wants!" Raynare-san declared.

Kalawarner-san nodded. "Azazel-sama wants a peaceful future for the Fallen Angels, one without war! If you were truly one of us, you would see the wisdom in his words! War isn't something that has to happen between the three factions! We CAN find peace and live without fighting! Shirou...Shirou taught me that...He showed me the truth." I couldn't help but notice the passionate look on Kalawarner-san's face when she looked at Shir-Oh. I get it now.

You attract girls from every faction, don't you, Shirou-kun?...

Something about that thought made me feel annoyed on the inside for some reason...but I quickly got over it.

Asia-chan shook her head. "…God doesn't exist? God…is dead? Then the love we were given by him is…"

"That's right. It's normal that there is no love from God and no divine protection from him. God is gone already. Michael is certainly doing well. He's taking the place of God and is taking care of the angels and humans. Well, if the "system" used by God is operating, then the prayer to God, the blessing to God, and exorcism would function. But if you compare it to the time God was present, the number of believers decreased. That Holy-Demonic sword brat over there was able to create the Holy-Demonic sword because the balance between God and the Maou broke. In reality, Holy and demonic powers cannot merge. If the ones who rule the power of Holy and demonic powers, God and the Maou, disappear, then lots of unique phenomenons occur. Even with Satan's blood still around, such things can still happen..."

Then the reason why my Holy-demonic sword was created was no coincidence. It turned out like that because God didn't exist any more...but wait...what did he mean by...?

"Asia! Pull yourself together, Asia!" Raynare-san started shaking Asia-chan who had fallen to the ground, unresponsive.

"From here on out, I will start a war! I will take your heads as a gift! Even if it's only me, I will continue from where we left off! I'm going to show Sirzechs and Michael that we, the Fallen Angels, are the ultimate beings!"

"Shut up...bastard..." A weak voice spoke up. Shirou-kun was barely able to stand despite his wounds and the amount of energy he had used. "You are truly the worst existence...You crave destruction and chaos...but most of all, you're wrong."

Kokabiel narrowed his eyes. "About what?"

Shirou-kun used his arm to wipe blood from the corner of his mouth, looking up to glare at the Fallen Angel leader.

"God isn't dead."

...!

Such a shocking statement! W-What are you saying?!

Shirou-kun clenched his fist and beat it against his chest. "God created everything, right? That means we are His legacy. Not just His, but that of the old Fallen Angel leaders and the original Maous. Their spirits and dreams rest in those who believed in and knew them. As long as we're still here, they'll never die! We'll protect the world they all left behind! I'll use my power to create a world to make them proud! One where humans, Devils, Angels, and Fallen Angels can all live in peace and harmony! Where we don't have to fight one another! That's the dream I believe in! The one where all of my loved ones are safe!"

Oddly, Shirou-kun's words filled me with a strange new vitality. I felt like I could fight again!

Not just me, Buchou also seemed to regain a bit of her previous spirit as did Akeno-san!

Asia-chan blinked twice, coming to while Raynare-san gave her a quick hug before releasing her. Kalawarner-san smiled and Sakura-chan was holding her hands in front of her, a surprisingly pleased smile on her face as she looked at Shirou-kun with admiration. Koneko-chan had an expression of approval for Shirou as well.

Even Xenovia stared in shock! She looked like she had regained her purpose.

Perhaps it was the strange charisma Shirou-kun held. The one that inspired everyone to keep moving forward.

Then all of our refound confidence changed into shock when Shirou-kun walked up to the abandoned Excalibur Destruction and tried wrapping his hand around the hilt.

"Shirou!" Buchou called out with worry. I couldn't blame her. Shirou-kun is only able to wield his fake Holy Swords because of his Dragon arm! If he tries wielding a real one, he could die!

"So that's why..." Shirou-kun wrapped his hand around the sword's hilt and lifted it up with little to no effort! "...Even if my bones are crushed...even if my body is reduced to ashes...I'll keep moving forward, **no matter what!**" Shirou-kun unleashed a powerful aura as he held the Holy Sword without any sign of pain.

Even Kokabiel seemed shocked!

"Could it be...?" Xenovia seemed to have realized something.

"H-How are you able to wield a Holy Sword?! _HIS_ descendant of all people shouldn't be able to touch one let alone wield one!" Kokabiel called out in shock.

Shirou-kun smirked. He pointed Excalibur Destruction at Kokabiel. I noticed a newer aura surrounding him. It was bright and-

I recognized it as a holy aura!

"My name is Shirou Fujimura, son of Miyako Fujimura, a natural-born Holy Sword-wielder!" Could it be-!? "Her blood runs through my veins! I'm a Holy Sword-wielder like my mother before me! I'm the man who will surpass the powers of Heaven and Hell combined!" Shirou-kun let out a mighty yell before he rushed at Kokabiel with surprising speed. It was as if the aura was giving him new power.

Shirou-kun flew at Kokabiel and swung Excalibur Destruction downward. Kokabiel raised his arms and an expression of even greater shock crossed his face as Shirou-kun's attack actually had enough force to send him flying to the ground. Shirou-kun flew towards the ground, stabbing Excalibur Destruction downward as Kokabiel just barely had time to move out of the way.

It was like...some kind of power was beginning to be unsealed within Shirou...something his spirit had finally awakened...

Shirou-kun used Excalibur Destruction's destructive aura to create a power explosion that sent dirt and debris flying everywhere.

"Die!" Kokabiel sharpened his black wings into blades and attempted to pierce Shirou yet again. But despite the Holy Sword's gigantic size, Shirou-kun wielded it with quite a bit of agility, dodging or blocking each and every stabbing motion.

"You really shouldn't risk your wings like that...CROW!" Shirou-kun swung his sword down to his right after dodging another one of Kokabiel's wings.

Kokabiel let out a loud scream of pain as one of his many wings was severed from his body and hit the ground.

"You wanted a taste of my power, Kokabiel!? Here's more than you can handle!" Shirou-kun drew Excalibur Destruction back. I detected not only the holy aura within the sword building up, but also Shirou-kun's own demonic power being poured into the blade. It easily surpassed the power of the previous attack he tried using. "I'm pouring what little I have left into this attack! For everyone! WE'RE ALL GOING HOME TOGETHER!"

Shirou-kun swung his sword downward, unleashing a powerful arc of energy in Kokabiel's direction.

I was surprised by the sheer magnitude of the blast.

"No...is this truly that person's power...?!" Kokabiel futilely tried using his arms to block the attack, but he was enveloped by a mix of holy and demonic aura, screaming from the pain the attack caused him.

GOOOOOOOON!

The deafening roar of the explosion that followed would definitely be one of the many things I would forever remember throughout my life.

Shirou-kun smiled as the entire area that was hit by the attack was swallowed by smoke. Shirou-kun let Excalibur Destruction drop to the ground by his side.

"Irina...I did it..." Shirou-kun then closed his eyes and fell to the ground, no doubt exhausted to the point that he couldn't even move...He let out a sigh of relief. He turned his head slowly and smiled at all of us. A sense of relief spread through my chest. Despite the impossiblity of it, we actually survived...we won... "Hey guys...we did it...We-"

"YOU SHIT! YOU FUCKING SHIT!"

The sound of the familiar voice filled us all with a sense of dread.

Shirou-kun stared as if he couldn't believe it...he had literally given everything he had in that attack. It was a miracle he was even still conscious...

"No..."

The smoke cleared to reveal a familiar Fallen Angel. His right arm was twisted in an unbelievably painful-looking way, a fair majority of his clothing had been torn or burned to Hell, and his eyes seemed to be glowing red with rage.

"Kufaahahahahhahahahahaha!" Kokabiel's laughter was clearly motivated by rage this time. "Of course! It's what I get for not killing the descendant of that bastard first! Fuck him! Fuck you, you shitty brat! Fuck you, Sataaaaaaaan!"

"What...?" Shirou-kun seemed to have had a great realization from Kokabiel's words. "What...what did you say?"

Kokabiel turned to Shirou with an almost psychotic grin. "Oh?! It appears the shitty brat doesn't know about his heritage! But no! I knew! I knew the moment I felt that annoying aura! The moment I saw those aggravating blood-red eyes! Shirou Fujimura! That is the name of Satan's descendant! The only being I could hate more than that shitty God or those bastards Azazel and Michael!"

Kokabiel pointed an accusing finger at Shirou-kun, whose eyes were wide in shock.

"You are that bastard Satan's descendant!"

We...we couldn't believe what was just said...No...It can't be...That...

The only person who seemed more shocked than any of us was Shirou himself.

"But...how...?" Buchou couldn't even form a complete sentence.

"Fujimura Miyako...bred with Satan's kin?" Xenovia looked like she was going to pass out any second. First she finds out God is dead, and now she learns that a woman whom she somewhat respected had a child with someone who is descended from Satan to give birth to Shirou...

"Is...is it possible...?"

Kalawarner-san asked in shock. A descendant of someone who strongly fought against Fallen Angels and Angels...what was going through her mind?

"Shirou-san..." Asia-chan didn't seem to care about the fact itself, but rather, Shirou-kun's reaction to it. Asia-chan was a person who wouldn't care about such a thing. I know that much.

"..." Sakura-chan simply bowed her head as if...Did...Did she know?!

"I'm..." Shirou-kun was trembling, on his knees in shock. Sweat poured down the sides of his face. "...I'm a descendant...of Satan-sama...?" He stared at his hands in front of him. He looked as if he didn't know who they belonged to. As if he had lost his own identity.

"It doesn't matter!" Kokabiel shouted, cackling madly. "Descendant or not, I'm going to reduce you to nothing! Nothing! Won't that be fun!?"

Shirou-kun would've normally have said something smart-alecky in that situation, but he was still in shock. He didn't even seem to process what Kokabiel had said.

"DIE!"

I was too slow to react...I failed to prevent what happened next.

Kokabiel materialized a light spear and threw it at Shirou-kun. He didn't even seem to acknowledge it! No! He couldn't have given up, could he?! Dammit!

I tried running foward, to take the lethal blow or something!

STAB

Blood splashed against Shirou's face, his entire body shaking even more uncontrollably as his eyes failed to process what happened.

"...Raynare...Why...?"

Someone was stabbed, but it wasn't Shirou-kun...It was someone I didn't expect.

It was Raynare-san! She ran in front of the light spear and took the blow for Shirou-kun!

She fell into Shirou-kun's arms, Shirou holding her tightly, still trembling from the recent blow as he processed what just transpired.

Raynare-san, despite the hole that now existed in her torso, smiled, caressing the side of Shirou's face gently, like that of a lover...

Ah...so these were her true feelings...

"Why did you do that, idiot?!" Shirou-kun demanded, tears forming in the corner of his eyes. He held Raynare-san's hand against his face.

Raynare-san continued smiling, her body seeming to grow weaker. "I...I w-wanted...I w-wanted to protect you...the moment we met...I r-really did l-like you...b-but...my mission came first...I had to hate you...in order to keep from killing myself...I wanted to hate you...but...I couldn't entirely...I was happy when we became friends...If I were to be reborn...I wouldn't care what it would be as...regardless of who I ended up as...no matter how many lives I would live...I would fall in love with the same person each time..."

"Idiot! Don't say things like you're gonna die! Save your energy!" Shirou-kun cried. "You're going to live! We're all going home alive, dammit! Come on! You're gonna stay with all of us! You promised to help me recreate the world, remember?!"

"Idiot!" Kalawarner-san screamed, tears were starting to pour from her eyes as she knelt besides Raynare-san. "All of our friends are waiting for us! We promised to surpass all of the other Fallen Angels! What happened to that?!"

Raynare-san gained an apologetic expression on her face. "...I-I'm sorry...Shirou...Thank you...the second chance you've given me...the new life I've lived...I loved every minute of it...I'm glad you were in it because..._I love you_..."

Raynare-san's hand slid from Shirou's face and felt limply to the ground.

"Ray!" Kalawarner-san screamed.

Shirou-kun didn't say anything. He just stared blankly.

Then tears began to roll down the sides of his face. "Raynare..." His friend...his friend had confessed to him...even though they had originally been enemies. He had lost his friend.

"Raynare-san!"

"Raynare!"

Asia-chan and Sakura-chan both ran towards the body of the Fallen Angel, but they stopped.

Kalawarner-san stopped as well. Buchou and Akeno-san as well. Koneko-chan and I tensed, sensing a strange trembling in the air. Then the ground.

I felt a powerful energy pouring through the air...

It all originated from Shirou-kun.

"HAHAHAHAHA! What a sappy end to a pathetic bitch!" Kokabiel...You...You are unforgiveable!

I would've attacked him there and then for the cruel words after Raynare-san's death, but...

"KOKABIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEL!"

The aura Shirou-kun radiated exploded outwards! Kalawarner-san spread her wings and flew away just in time as a giant explosion of blue flames swallowed Shirou-kun and Raynare-san's body!

The pressure actually seemed to increase from before when it was just Kokabiel!

Something was coming and FAST! Something that may actually make Kokabiel seem insignificant!

"No..." Kokabiel's psychosis suddenly shifted back to his original fear. He stepped back away from the explosion...shocked. "No! He can't be-!"

"_He is."_

The sudden voice cut away all of our attention from Shirou-kun and directed it towards a familiar woman.

She appeared to be in her twenties and had long, white hair and dark-blue eyes which were now narrowed. Her apparel was different now that she was dressed in an open black overcoat over a white shirt and black pants.

Makoto Fujimura held a more dangerous and mysterious aura thanshe had held when I first met her.

But...what was Shirou's Onee-sama doing here?

Wait...Shirou-kun and Makoto are siblings...so could it be she's-?!

Makoto didn't seem necessarily pleased. "Despite the seals I placed on Shirou, he is awakening now."

""Mako-nee!?"" Asia-chan, who had been crying at the thought of Raynare-san's death, and Buchou both stared in shock at Makoto's sudden appearance.

The older woman brushed hair out of her face, sighing. "It appears it is a curse for those with Satan's blood to be involved in dangerous things. I've tried my best despite _that man's_ terms, but it was probably inevitable that Shirou was drawn into this world."

"So it IS happening." Sakura-chan noted, appearing beside Makoto. Sakura-chan's previous personality completely changed into one of respect and obedience. Like that of a servant.

"Yes." Makoto answered. "Observe, Rias Gremory. You are about to witness something great yet terrifying."

"Behold." Sakura-chan announced.

I couldn't believe the amount of power that I had witnessed that day...I would remember it always for more reasons than one...

**And done. For the record, this isn't it. The full chapter was too long, so I had to split it up into two chapters. I will post the next chapter a few minutes after this one, so remain calm. The second part to this climax is to be posted next~!**

**Thanks for the reads and reviews~!**

**Bye-Bye~!**


	21. Chapter 20: Heritage Part 2

**And here is the exciting second half of the grand finale~!**

**Enjoy~!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except certain OC's.**

**Chapter 20:**

**Heritage**

**Part 2**

**Yuuto's POV...**

"**Kehehehehehe...**" An ominous chuckle came from within the dome of flames that had swallowed Raynare-san and Shirou-kun. "**KehehehehehehehahahahahahahHAHAHAHA-*Cough Cough*-**" The ominous laughter was immediately cut short by a series of coughing and hacking from the same voice who had been laughing before. "Shit! I can't pull off the maniacal laugh with all the smoke everywhere!"

If I focused my eyes, I could make out a humanoid form within the inferno that consumed my best friend.

The colossal blue flames that had risen were quickly dissipated by a single arm that had pierced through the outer edge and swiped them away.

"Geez...My grand debut was spoiled in an incredibly lame way." The figure complained.

I wasn't even sure what to say.

The figure from within the flames carried the body of Raynare. I was shocked to see that the hole that existed in her chest from earlier had completely vanished. Small sparks seemed to dance across her flesh, but they quickly died, leaving Raynare looking as if she had merely fallen asleep.

"This is one lucky woman. If this kid hadn't woken me up when he did, she would've ended up in a pine box floating down the river as they say." The figure grinned. "But to have awakened his power at such a young age..."

Asia-chan took an uncertain step forward. "S-Shirou-san...?"

Indeed. The figure who emerged from the flames did in fact look quite a bit like Shirou-kun...but something was different other than the fact he had appeared completely uninjured...

For one, his usually beautiful snow-white hair had turned the deepest shade of black. Another thing was that his previously white skin had turned darker, reminding me of a character I heard of...Victor...it was...I can't remember...Wait! Why am I thinking of this right now?!

I watched the person resembling Shirou quickly turned to face Asia, who refused to flinch despite her fear.

"Sorry, but saying I'm that bitch's kid brother would be both correct yet incorrect at the same time." The tone of voice...the voice itself sounded like Shirou-kun, but different at the same time. It sounded like someone else was speaking through Shirou-kun. I couldn't be certain, but I could've sworn he shot a dirty look at Makoto who narrowed her eyes. "You can say...hmm...what can you call it, I wonder...?"

He then put on a thinking face, causing me to stare in uncertainty. I...Is is he being serious right now?

"Would it be like possession...? No...that more for spirits and junk. I've been in this body since it was created...so maybe it would be more like-"

"DISAPPEAR!" Damn! We had completely forgotten all about Kokabiel!

We all turned to see the Fallen Angel leader manifesting hundreds if not thousands of light spears in the air all around him.

Shirou(?) turned with no concern on his face as hundreds of light spears were shot at him. He simply held out one arm while using the other to carefully carry the unconscious Raynare-san.

A small flame that appeared in the palm of his hand immediately expanded and exploded outwards, unleashing an azure inferno that completely destroyed each and every spear, sending them into oblivion. Shirou(?) narrowed his eyes and he suddenly vanished.

I almost reacted with my Holy-Demonic sword when he suddenly appeared out of thin air in front of me, holding out Raynare-san to me.

"Hold this for a second." I carefully took Raynare-san from this person's arms into my own, holding her carefully as to keep from hurting her.

Shirou(?) then disappeared, appearing suddenly in front of Kokabiel. "Excuse me!" He then punched Kokabiel in the face with a fist covered in demonic blue flames, sending the Fallen Angel flying until Shirou(?) appeared behind him. "We-" Shirou(?) delivered a powerful kick to Kokabiel's back at an angel that sent him flying into the air. "-were in the middle-" Shirou(?) appeared in the air above Kokabiel, slamming both of his fists down on the Cadre's head, sending him spiraling back towards the ground. "-of a conversation!"

He then went back to the ground, landing carefully. The person who claimed to be and not be Shirou rubbed the back of his neck. "Now what should it be called...?

E-Eh? H-He just literally beat Kokabiel into the dirt and acted like it was nothing!

"Never mind that, who are you?!" Buchou asked.

Shirou(?)'s eyes widened when he saw Rias's face. His face quickly relaxed and a gentle smile appeared on his face. I couldn't help but feel calmed by that smile. "Ah. So you're this kid's master, huh. Hm. Leave it to a Gremory to obtain such a powerful servant." He then snapped his fingers. "Ah yes. You asked who I was..." Shirou(?) placed a finger on his chin and put on a thinking expression. "Well...I guess you can think of me as a fragment of Satan's soul that is passed down to the heir of each generation of his bloodline...'the Will of Satan' if you will. Yeah, that sounds pretty cool...I've been in this kid's soul ever since he was born."

Buchou's eyes widened in shock. "So Shirou really is...?"

"My/His descendant? Yes. Thanks for pointing out the obvious." For a fragment of Satan-sama's soul, I was having a hard time telling if he was a good guy or a jerk. He just seemed so spontaneous and irresponsible...kinda like Shirou-kun.

Satan-sama (as I would now refer to him as since it was yet wasn't Satan-sama at the same time) then turned to Kokabiel. "Wait a minute. I know that guy!" His eyes widened in surprise. He then started waving. "Yo! Coke Head! What's up?!"

C-Coke Head?...I-Is he talking about Kokabiel?

Kokabiel seemed to struggle to stand up after Satan-sama's previous assault. There was a mix of fear and hatred in his eyes. "No! It's impossible! How could Satan's blood have manifested into a physical body!?"

"Cos I'm fucking awesome!" Satan-sama replied crudely with a grin.

...Was that REALLY his response? I...I pictured Satan-sama being like a lot of things, but this was not one of them.

Buchou also seemed uncertain with this. She just stared, seeming disillusioned.

Koneko-chan narrowed her eyes while Akeno-san seemed more amused than anything.

Kalawarer-san just stared with her jaw dropped in shock.

Asia-san mostly seemed confused.

...I wonder if the expression "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree" could be used to describe Satan-sama and Shirou-kun.

Kokabiel did his best to regain his previous confidence, but he was clearly terrified.

After all, Satan-sama was able to annihilate hundreds of his light spears with a single attack and didn't seem to break a sweat.

"To sum it up," Satan-sama spoke. "That bitch descendant of mine, Makoto, sealed this power away for a long time. But even she couldn't keep me down for long. She didn't even possess the power of 'heir', so it was only a matter of time. The seal fully broke when the beautiful Fallen Angel woman was almost killed in front of the kid, Shirou. Man, his rage was certainly impressive."

"I didn't want Shirou to be drawn onto this path...I just wanted him to be safe...When he became a Reincarnated Devil, a certain situation prevented me from interfering...that seal was the last trick I had..." Makoto-san seemed so sad. She truly cares for Shirou-kun.

Satan-sama sighed, scratching his head. "Damn. It's really a pain in the ass, but it seems bad things will happen to this world if I let you go, Coke Head." Satan-sama noted. "I really like this world, so I guess-"

"FUCK THAT! I'M OUTTA HERE!" Kokabiel couldn't fly away from Satan-sama fast enough. Even with one of his wings missing, he flew away rather quickly.

Satan-sama clicked his tongue in annoyance. "They always run." He once again vanished, appearing in front of Kokabiel who was fleeing.

Satan-sama's expression became stone cold as he floated in the air, eight bat-like wings spread behind him. Then he pouted.

"Really? This body can only manifest eight wings? That's horribly disappointing and takes away from the intimidation factor." Satan-sama hung his head in disappointment. He shook his head. "Oh well. After I kill you, I'll be the only being here with more than two wings." Then a large grin appeared on his face. With Shirou-kun's skin and hair darkened, the grin seemed much more malicious coming from Satan-sama.

Kokabiel's eyes widened in terror. "STAY AWAY!" He unleashed yet another barrage of light spears at Satan-sama.

Satan-sama didn't bat an eye. A thin layer of flames materialized around the body that belonged to Shirou-kun. Every spear dissipated into light dust the moment they came into contact with the barrier.

Satan-sama sighed. "Fuuuu. What a disappointing opponent. Any last words?" Satan-sama's previous cold expression returned.

"I-"

Then Satan-sama appeared next to him, slicing downward with a sword from Blade Genesis on Kokabiel's shoulder, completely slicing off Kokabiel's arm.

"GAAAAAH! MY FUCKING ARM!" Kokabiel screeched as blood spewed from his stump.

Satans-sama's eyes widened as he looked to his right to notice the severed arm/stump that belonged to Shirou-kun... "Oh yeah. I felt like my balance was off somewhat, but I couldn't figure out why. Heeeeere we go~" Satan-sama stretched Shirou-kun's stump/arm and beautiful blue flames appeared out of thin air at the stump's end. They continued forming into a solid form and traveled forward, creating more black flesh that stretched from the tattered sleeve of his jacket. "HWAH!" He said dramatically as a new flesh and blood was formed by the power of the blue flames, shooting out from the stump.

Everyone stared in shock.

"Hells yeah!" Satan-sama shouted, flexing his new arm. "That's what I'm talkin bout! Some Dragon Ball Z bullshit right there! KAHAHAHAHAHA!"

I...I just had so much trouble respecting this person as a fragment of Satan-sama's soul. Is this an extension of Shirou-kun's personality or is this truly the Satan-sama that Devils revere as a demon god?

"Now I can't allow you to cause trouble for my precious Devils who I created, can I, Coke Head?" Satan-sama said with a confident smile.

Kokabiel's eyes widened as if an idea appeared in his head. "You really care for Devils, don't you, Satan?"

Satan-sama scratched his cheek. "Yeah. Of course. They're like my children. I may have been a demon god, but nothing meant more to me than my people's safety."

"Perfect!" Kokabiel then bat his wings towards our group. I readied my sword, ready to slash him, as did Xenovia. But a single wing beat was all it took for Kokabiel to knock all of us away.

"Kyaaaaa!" There was a scream of fear and we all turned back to see-

"Asia!"

"Asia-chan!"

Kokabiel had one hand wrapped around Asia-chan's throat and a light spear pointed at her head.

"In that case: Make another move and the bitch dies!"

"Asia!"

"Unhand her, coward!"

Buchou was extremely angry at Coke Head-I mean Kokabiel's tactics. So cowardly! I wasn't sure what to do considering I was still holding Raynare-san, but it turned out I didn't have to do anything.

"Ha! So if you care for your Devils so much, Satan, let's see you react in this situation!"

"Oh dear, how WILL I ever get out of this one?" We all stared as Satan-sama appeared behind Kokabiel, glaring at the Fallen Angel. Kokabiel tensed, having realized how much trouble he was in. "To quote the kid: You know those situations where you realize you should just give up, but instead choose to wind up in one of those 'Oh shit' moments? This is one of those situations."

"Oh-" But Satan-sama didn't even let Kokabiel finish. The moment Kokabiel opened his mouth, Satan-sama grabbed Kokabiel by the head and threw him into the air. He then flew after the Fallen Angel, floating above him. Satan-sama held out both of his hands as blue flames began to dance in the middle of both of his palms.

"Now what was it the kid said before...? Oh yeah. I'd say 'Burn in Hell', but then I'd have to deal with you forever, soooooo-BURN AWAY TO NOTHINGNESS!" In both of Satan-sama's flame-covered hands, he created two red tridents using Blade Genesis that clearly contrasted to the blue of Satan's flames. Both tridents were tipped in Saten-sama's blue flames. "Coke Head, meet Mr. Trident and his wife Elaine!"

H-How...how was that even supposed to make any...what? Oh Shirou-kun, wherever you are, please come back soon.

Satan-sama then grabbed the shaft of one of the tridents, twirled it clockwise once before pointing it at Kokabiel...And then he threw it.

"FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!" Kokabiel screamed, unable to flee at the spear made a direct hit, spearing the Fallen Angel through the throat and slamming him into the ground.

"And now for No. 2!" In a similar manner to the first, Satan-sama threw the second trident, pouring even more demonic energy as he threw the trident.

The trident hit the crater that Kokabiel's impact with the ground created.

BOOOOOOOOM!

A huge explosion erupted from the crater, shooting powerful blue flames into the air that lit up the dark night.

A small part of me wanted to walk up to the crater to see if Kokabiel was still alive, but the part of me that had common sense knew there was no getting back up after such an attack.

"Well that's taken care of." Satan-sama stated, brushing dirt from his clothes. He then floated back to the ground and then stared at us, shooting one quick glare at Makoto-san. "Well...goodbye."

He then turned and started walking away.

E-Eh?

Using my [Knight] speed, I quickly ran in front of Satan-sama, still holding Raynare-san.

"W-Wait a minute! What about Shirou-kun?!"

Satan-sama rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeaaah, bout that...I'm not giving his body back."

"W-What?"

Makoto-san also appeared in front of Satan. "This is exactly why I sealed Shirou's power. It's too unpredictable."

"Oh. So you plan to try and stop me, eh?" Satan noted with an amused smirk. "Even on the miniscule chance you can defeat me, you'd only be crippling your own baby brother, isn't that right?"

Makoto-san growled at the being possessing her brother, but made no move.

"We won't let you!" Buchou and the others quickly gathered around Satan. Buchou was glaring. "Even if you actually are the manifestation of Satan-sama's soul inside of Shirou, I just won't just stand by and let you take my precious servant from me!"

"Tch." Satan-sama clicked his tongue. "Like your brother, you are certainly a stubborn person, Rias Gremory."

Buchou glared. "Leave him out of this!"

Satan-sama scratched his head. "Geez. I meant it as a compliment." He grinned. "I can kind of see why Shirou fell for you! HA!"

"Well, I-Eh?" Buchou blinked, processing what Satan-sama had just said. Despite the situation, her cheeks turned a slight pink. She shook her head, trying to clear her head of whatever thoughts she was thinking of.

Akeno-san began gathering demoninc energy. "But it is like Buchou said. We have no intentions of letting you keep Shirou-kun's body."

"...Give Senpai back."

"Please return Shirou-san to us!"

Even Koneko-chan and Asia-chan spoke bravely to Satan.

"I feel the same!" Kalawarner-san declared, forming a spear of light in her hands. "Shirou is an important person to me! I won't let you take him away!"

I started holding Raynare-san in one arm as I materialized another sword. "I will fight too if it comes down to it!"

Satan-sama placed a hand on his forehead, shaking his head. "Even though I just completely KO'd a Cadre-level Fallen Angel you took on and lost against, you honestly think you stand a chance. Even with Mako-nee on your side, you stand no chance against me."

Makoto-san glared at Satan-sama. "Shut up! I won't just let you have him! I swore I'd protect him! I promised Lady Miyako!"

Lady Miyako...? Why did Makoto-san refer to her and Shirou-kun's mother so formally?

Then Satan-sama sighed. "OK then, I'll end this quickly..." We were about to make a move when a crushing pressure came down upon all of us, forcing all of us to our knees.

It was overwhelming...this power...it was unbelievable...it was at least a hundred times greater than anything Kokabiel could manifest...we...we stood no chance against such power...

Even Makoto-san fell to one knee, struggling to stand. She bore the same blood as Shirou, so of course she wouldn't fall completely, but if she was on one knee, then must not be as strong as this person either.

"Bastard...you're a relic that belongs to the past...give him back..." Makoto-san said to him. "GIVE SHIROU BACK TO ME!" Makoto-san was clearly struggling with all of her might, but even her seemingly indomitable will was no match for the pressure created by Satan-sama's power.

Then, all at once, it stopped.

The feeling that made me feel like I was going to be crushed completely disappeared.

Satan-sama smirked and started walking away. "Sorry, but this kid nearly got killed. If he, the only remaining heir that I actually LIKE, dies, then that's the end of the line. Do not pass Go. Do not collect 200 dollars. Done-zo. Oh. But I do have one message from the kid to Rias Gremory." Satan's eyes softened slightly as he turned to Buchou. "'Sorry, Buchou'." The man who took over my friend's body turned to leave.

"...No...Master...I...I was destined to protect you...this can't be..." Sakura-chan stared in shock, a powerful expression of betrayal on her face. As if she was cheated by the entire universe.

No...No! NO NO NO! This can't be happening! Shirou, you said we'd all be going home together! You...you can't be...

"Shirou-san..." Asia-chan just stared as the man no longer known as Shirou Fujimura started to walk away.

"...Senpai..."

"...this can't be happening..."

"...Shirou..."

Koneko-chan, Akeno-san, and Makoto-san stared sadly, barely restraining tears as they found themselves unable to do anything.

"...You idiot..."

Buchou...

She was crying. Because...because I failed as her Knight...I failed to be strong...If I had defeated Kokabiel before, Shirou never would have-

Asia-chan hugged Buchou as she started crying, sobbing as the former nun too found herself crying.

"H-Hey now, come on..." I jumped, surprised by the reappearance of the Shirou who was possessed by Satan's Will. He had a VERY uncomfortable and awkward expression on his face. "D-Don't cry...Y-You shouldn't cry..."

Buchou glared at Satan-sama who shrank away, somewhat frightened by Buchou's burning hatred.

"...You..." She sounded like she didn't know what to say anymore. Instead, she went back to crying.

"O-Oh come on now...P-Please don't cry. You! Knight! Do something!" Satan commanded, pointing at me. I stared blankly.

"You're taking away someone precious to us. There's nothing I can do."

Satan groaned, looking incredibly guilty. I rubbed his face anxiously. "Damn. I really can't bear to see a woman in tears...dammit." Satan sighed before turning to Buchou. "Alright. Alright. I'll give him back. Just please don't cry anymore."

What? Really?! So Satan-sama feels bad seeing a woman in tears...apparently Shirou-kun and Satan are more alike than I thought...out of context, that would sound unreasonably rude.

Satan turned and glared at Makoto-san. "But before I go back into that boring place that is Shirou's inner soul, I have a few things I wanna say first."

I couldn't help but wonder what the former ruler of the Devils could have to say to us.

"No. Before you get some grand idea I'm gonna say something huge involving me, the answer is no. Just wanted to pass some sentiments that Shirou may not remember to pass onto you himself." Satan-sama explained. Ah. So these are Shirou-kun's own thoughts.

He suddenly appeared in front of me.

"First off, Knight-kun, despite how much Shirou denies it, he really really cares about you." Satan-sama grinned. "So don't go dying on him."

...Hm...for some reason, knowing that made me extremely happy.

Satan-sama then appeared in front of Asia-chan and smile warmly.

"Shirou-kun really likes that kind heart of yours. He doesn't mind your breasts are still budding because he really likes you. He likes most anything except lolis just as long as they have a fine ass." Satan-sama looked as if he had said something private for another person and said it simply out of spite. "Yeah. He's been looking. Been denying he has been doin it, but he is really a fan of the ass."

Asia-chan blushed deeply, squeaking as an expression of mixed happiness and incredible embarrassment appeared on her face.

Then he moved on to Koneko-chan.

"Shirou knows you only hit him because he deserves it. He considers you a good friend and cares about you. Even though you're the one who picks on him the most for being a tsundere, he cares about you as a dear friend."

Koneko-chan's expression brightened and a light pink (although it could've been my imagination) appeared on her face.

Then came Sakura-chan.

"Oi. This one's mostly from me. The kid cares about you even though he believes you are a simple familiar. Be sure to take care of him." Sakura-chan stared at Satan-sama with determined eyes.

"Of course. He is my beloved master."

Satan-sama nodded before moving onto...Xenovia?

Satan-sama smirked. "Oh yeah. The kid's actually developed a thing for you. It's overwhelmed by his dislike for you for threatening Asia, but he has a fetish for strong and scary women among other things. Remember that."

Xenovia blinked, uncertain what to make of either fact that Satan-sama was speaking to her, an Exorcist, or that she had no idea why she should care about such a thing. She looked like she wasn't sure whether to nod or aim her blade at Satan.

...Shirou-kun...You...You have strange fetishes. That is the only definite thing I can say to that secret Satan had revealed.

Satan-sama then teleported to Akeno-san.

"Oh...and yes. Yes to the question you've been wondering and probably already knew the answer to." Satan-sama stated vaguely. "He is indeed an 'M'. I'll tell ya, this kid has a LOT of fetishes."

...Hehehe...I really felt I shouldn't be listening to such things.

Akeno-san placed a hand on her cheek as a naughty-seeming expression appeared on her face, as if she was thinking up all sorts of various perverted things.

"And to both Fallen Angel girls," Satan-sama started, crossing his arms. "He doesn't care what you were before, you're both dear friends to him." Kalawarner blushed slightly.

Satan-sama then gestured to Buchou.

"And to the lovely Rias Gremory." He then put on a sneaky look. "He liiiiiiiiiiikes you~!"

Buchou's face turned a deeper shade of red as she covered her face in embarrassment. But I could tell she was happy. I'm surprised she didn't notice earlier. I mean, it was pretty obvious to the rest of us. Maybe it was because her own feelings for Shirou-kun made her blind to his.

"And finally the bitchy Mako-nee." Satan-sama appeared in front of Makoto-san who was standing proudly once more. I had a feeling that he added the 'bitchy' part by himself. "The kid...his feelings are strong by this point. No matter what he's said so far: He loves you. You're the precious Mako-nee he treasures. He would've apologized to you long before now, begging for forgiveness for hurting you as he did, but he just couldn't find the right moment. He wasn't sure if you'd even forgive him."

Makoto-san's eyes widened. She seemed...shocked...disbelieving...and relieved...

Satan-sama then put on a thinking expression.

"Hmmm...Let's see...any other embarrassing emotions or secrets of his that I can reveal to relieve myself of boredom...?"

Of course that would be this person's reasoning.

I sighed tiredly.

"No? Mmkay then." He then gave an unceremonious peace sign. "Laters."

I expected some sort of explosion or fiery ceremony, but nothing exciting happened.

The hair on Shirou/Satan's head gradually began to fade to a familiar white color. The skin on the shared body began to brighten considerably, returning to the shade it had been originally. His eyes changed from blood-red to dark-blue. The eight Devil wings that had sprouted from his back slowly retracted He came to resemble more and more of the self-proclaimed badass we had come to know and love.

Shirou-kun had returned.

...Then he fell.

Sakura-chan was the first to catch him. "Master!"

We all quickly gathered around Shirou, worried about his condition. His eyes were closed, but he was still breathing.

"...Hnnn...Shirou..." Raynare-san stirred in my arms, her eyes opening slowly.

It was good that she was awake, but what about Shirou-kun?

"Shirou! Wake up!"

* * *

**Shirou's POV...**

_Blue._

_That was the color of the flames the devoured everything around me._

_I was back in that sea of burning blue. It seemed like the whole world was going to be swallowed by these powerful flames that hurt me so much...that had taken Oka-sama's life. I only now realized that those blue flames had more significance than I initially thought..._

_It was scary. I was so afraid for reasons I could not understand._

_I was calling out to someone...I couldn't make out what I was screaming...every noise was dulled by the roar of the fire engulfing the room._

_Everything hurt...it hurt so much..._

_I was crying. The flames weren't devouring me like they had my surroundings, but they still burned and stung me._

_I felt so sad and alone..._

"_...a-sama..."_

_My voice was much clearer than it had been a moment before._

"_...ka-sa..." I kept calling out for somebody._

_That was when I noticed it. The lone shape I could make out on the ground before me._

_I resisted the urge to throw up when I saw it. _

_The charred corpse before me...I somehow knew who it was...Her once beautiful face was marred by these unholy flames around us...Her entire form was slowly being devoured by fire..._

"_Oka-sama! OKA-SAMA, wake up, PLEASE!" I cried. "Please wake up!"_

_Why...? Why am I seeing this...? Why is this happening...?..._

_...Oka-sama...Please...please don't leave me...please..._

"_Somebody, please! Oka-sama!"_

_Why am I so helpless...? Why...?_

_...Just let it end...please...it hurts...please...somebody help her..._

_JUST LET IT END! LETITENDLETITEND! PLEASEJUSTLETITEND!_

"_Oka-samaaaaaaa!"_

_I wondered how long I would endure this torture...even if I ever went back..._

_Raynare was dead...she was dead because I was weak...Again and again I keep failing..._

_Oka-sama was dead..._

_Raynare was dead..._

_All of my friends, left at Kokabiel's mercy...they will probably die as well..._

_...Miya...Shinji...Raynare...Irina...Oka-sama...everyone...why can't I protect anyone? Why do I keep failing...? Why does everyone I love keep getting hurt...?_

_The blue flames started to cover my body..._

_Maybe it would be best...if I just died here..._

_"OKA-SAMAAAAAAAAA!"_

_...Yeah...I was going to end up dead like Oka-sama...it's definitely for the best..._

_Then...something happened._

_There was a loud noise that sounded like a big BOOM._

_Debris had exploded onto my back. The noise frightened me..._

_Then the large weight on my back that had pinned me to the ground was lifted. I was too weak to move, and I was even more afraid..._

_Was it some kind of monster...?_

_I kept crying. Crying for the mother who I knew would never wake up._

_I should just die..._

_Then someone picked me up off the ground...I was turned around and hugged tightly by a warm figure..._

_It was different from the painful heat of the flames that I felt...it was more welcoming and kind..._

_I raised my head weakly to see a face I would always recognize..._

_Mako-nee..._

_She was injured and her face had several cuts and bruises, but she was smiling nonetheless. It wasn't happiness, but relief that made her smile. Silent tears rolled down the sides of her face as she pulled me closer, hugging me._

_"It'll be okay, Shirou...It'll be okay. Mako-nee's here for you. I promise I'll protect you. I promise...Even if that man says such things, I'll do whatever I can...I promise." Mako-nee sobbed while holding me close, as if trying to keep me from fading away._

_I found myself believing those words..._

_"I won't ever leave you, Shirou..."_

_Then everything became dark...As darkness consumed me, I felt completely safe...being protected by my Onee-sama..._

* * *

My eyes shot open and I immediately sat upright, my heart beating against my rib cage.

The first thing that came to mind: Glad I'm not claustrophobic.

The reason I thought this was because everyone was all gathered around me, their faces hovering over me with expressions of worry.

Buchou, Akeno-san, Asia, Koneko-chan, Kiba, Kalawarner, Sakura, and even-

Mako-nee?!

A long silence ensued as they all stared at me.

"...erm...Hi?..." More silence. After ten minutes, I narrowed my eyes. "OK, somebody better say something fast or someone is getting hit upside the head."

Koneko-chan raised her hand. "...Tsun-"

"NOT THAT! AND I'M NOT A GODDAMNED TSUNDERE!" I shouted at the top of my lungs.

[He's back!]

Everyone began to speak cheerfully for some reason. Buchou, Asia, and Sakura were all smiling, tears forming in their eyes. Kiba just gave a relieved smile. Akeno-san had a strange smile on her face that I could swear had a perverted nature. Kalawarner was both smiling and crying with relief. Even Koneko-chan smiled softly.

And Mako-nee-

"You idiot..." Everyone moved as Mako-nee quickly wrapped her arms around me. She was shaking and I could hear faint sobs.

My eyes widened in surprise. "Mako-nee...?"

"Idiot...I thought you were going to die..." Mako-nee...even after I said just cruel words to you...you were worried about a jerk like me...

I felt tears rolling down the sides of my face.

"Mako-nee..." I wrapped my arms around her, returning her embrace. "I'm so sorry, Mako-nee! I'm sorry for being such a worthless brother! I'm sorry...all my life, you've been looking after me, but I...I..."

Mako-nee's hug became tighter. "It's alright. I love you, Shirou..." Mako-nee seemed so happy after saying those words. "I'm sorry I couldn't tell you anything..."

Ah. So Mako-nee did know about my dreams...it was because she was there. She was the one who saved me from those flames. Even though she was hurt, she still risked herself to save my life...

"I love you too, Mako-nee..." I then remembered the sorrow I felt earlier. "...but...I'm so stupid and worthless...I couldn't protect Raynare...She...She died because I was too weak..."

Mako-nee pulled away and I noticed a strange expression on her face.

"Um...Shirou..."

"I was too weak to do anything! She was my friend and I couldn't save her. She lost her life saving an idiot like me."

"Erm...Master." Sakura tried to butt in, but I was too entrenched in my own self-loathing.

"She was smart and really kind deep down. If it hadn't been for Kokabiel, we could've been even greater friends...my own hatred made me ignorant of the great person she was until it was too late to matter..."

There was a brief pause. I looked up to see Kalawarner with an amused smile on her face.

W-Why are you smiling?! Your friend is dead and you're smiling?!

"Well what would you say about Raynare's appearance, Shirou?"

Kalawarner's question confused me, but I answered it anyway.

"She was beautiful. One of the most beautiful girls I've ever seen. There are only a few girls I can name who can match her."

Sakura giggled. "Pfft...What especially about her appearance would you say you liked most, Master?"

Seriously?! Was there no respect for the dead?!

I poked my fingers together nervously. "Well...I mean...if I had to say what part of her I liked the most...Her ass." There was a long pause. I could literally FEEL what little respect everyone had left for me vanishing completely. "She had a nice ass. Yes, I know it's horrible of me to remember that as the best part, but I can't help it! It's my fetish!"

Then I looked up and saw Buchou face-palming and shaking her head, Akeno-san giggling, Koneko-chan staring at me with narrowed eyes, Asia with an adorable pout on her face, and the others just seemed amused.

"What are you all smiling about!?" I shouted at them. "Raynare's gone and you're all acting like it-" I paused, having come to finally realize something. "She...she's alive, isn't she?"

Everyone nodded simultaneously.

"Ah. And she's standing right behind me, having heard everything I just said, isn't she?"

More nods. Oh shit.

I turned slowly to see a familiar girl dressed in a risque S&amp;M-style outfit. Her face was a deep shade of red and she was smiling in a way that could only be described as 'sneaky'.

My eye twitched as I clenched my fists.

Raynare was alive...and she let me just say such embarrassing things...

A massive amount of killing intent exploded out of me.

"You...YOOOU...CROOOOOOOW!" I shouted with an immense amount of humiliation in my voice.

Raynare raised her arms, smiling, expecting a punch or something playful, but she was mostly shocked by my reaction.

I ran up to her and wrapped my arms all the way around her, including her wings in my hug.

"BAKA! YOU IDIOT! IDIOT IDIOT IDIOT!" I felt myself starting to cry again. "I thought you were dead! Don't EVER do anything like that again, you idiot!"

"Shirou..." Raynare gained a small smile at my worry.

After a good seven minutes, I finally released her and turned back to the others, smiling.

"Hey, guys, we-" I blinked. I quickly looked around the area. "Shit! Where's Kokabiel!? What happened?!" I was so wrapped up in apologies and relief that I failed to remember that we had been fighting a Fallen Angel leader just about...however long ago...

Buchou stared at me with a confused look. "You mean...you don't remember anything that happened while you were unconscious...?"

That...was definitely a strange question.

"Of course not." I replied with raised eyebrows. "Did...Did something happen...?"

Mako-nee sighed. "We'll tell you about it later (omitting one or two things), but right now we should deal with our guest..." Mako-nee's eyes narrowed as she looked back into the air.

...Guest?

I looked to where Mako-nee had been staring, our gazes followed by the others', to see a single figure wearing strange white armor with wings. It kind of reminded me of a gundam.

Mako-nee crossed her arms.

"...The Vanishing Dragon, Albion. Already in Balance Breaker form, eh?" Mako-nee spoke with a strange yet serious tone. I had figured out by the fact she was here and not freaking out that she had some knowledge about the other side, but to know-Wait...Did she say "Vanishing Dragon"?

My eyes widened.

This person...the being opposite to the Welsh Dragon, Ddraig. My whole body trembled. I could feel the power radiating from that guy.

It was well-controlled unlike Kokabiel's power. I had no doubt that this person's pressure could crush me if he went all out...

It was exciting and I now wanted to fight this guy.

Mako-nee seemed to think this guy was also a serious threat. "So it appears that you've also reached the Balance Breaker of Divine Dividing, Hakuryuukou." She then gestured to a humongous crater in the middle of the ground I could swear wasn't there before. "So, were you here for Kokabiel, Vanishing Dragon? If so, I'm afraid you're too late since he's come down with little case of death." She then pointed to the defeated Freed. "You can take that though."

Albion complied and picked up both Freed and some kind of badly burned, humanoid shaped...THING from the crater that hadn't been there before I passed out. I recognized a few crispy and featherless wings...

Kokabiel...was dead?

Seriously! What the fuck happened while I was out?!

The person inside the armor, who I now figured was a guy, seemed to chuckle once.

"I WAS here for Kokabiel, but it seems my presence is no longer necessary. So was it the Sekiryuutei who did this?" I couldn't see the Hakuryuukou's eyes, but I could tell he was staring at me with interest.

"That would be yes and no." Mako-nee answered. Eh?...I...I did that?

"Hm. So he's awakened his power, but he can't control it..." The Hakuryuukou noted...but I really had no idea what he meant.

The only thing I remembered before passing out was Raynare getting speared and Kokabiel telling me I was Satan's descendant before that...

Eh?

I just realized that I hadn't fully processed that realization before I passed out...

"That is none of your business, Albion." Mako-nee stated in a harsh and threatening tone.

"...Hm. Well, even though he's yet to fully master his power, I can see the potential in him." Albion noted.

I smirked. "I don't know what's going on, but what's say we get our big fight underway right now, Alb-OOMF!" Sakura suddenly jabbed her elbow into my gut.

I hunched over in pain, disbelieving that Sakura had so much physical strength.

Makoto shot me a look that said "Shut up right now, idiot". She then narrowed her eyes at the Hakuryuukou.

"He's not ready now, but rest assured. Shirou will gladly be kicking your ass someday."

I couldn't help but feel that the guy was smirking under his armor.

Carrying Freed and the recently deceased Kokabiel under his arms, the Hakuryuukou started to fly away.

[Are you ignoring me, huh, white-one?]

I heard Ddraig speak from Blade Genesis.

[So you were awake, red-one.]

Albion's armor jewel was also glowing white. It seemed like Ddraig and Albion were communicating with one another.

[We finally met, but in a situation like this.]

[That's all right. It's our destiny to fight one day. Things like this happen.]

[But white-one. I can't feel the hostility from you like before.]

[Red-one. Your hostility is incredibly low as well.]

[Looks like both of us have things that interest us more than fighting.]

[That's how it is. We should be having fun by ourselves for a while. It's not bad like this sometimes, right? Let's meet again, Ddraig.]

[That would also be fun, huh. See you then, Albion.]

So this was the conversation between the Welsh Dragon, Ddraig, and the Vanishing Dragon, Albion.

I stared determinedly at my destined rival as he flew away. "Until we meet again, Hakuryuukou. I'll definitely get strong enough to beat you on my own."

"Hn. I'm glad to see that my rival-kun has so much spirit." He sounded pleased. "Very well then. Go get stronger then. I hope to fight you once you gain more power." Then he disappeared into the night sky.

There was one thing left to do!

I walked over to Yuuto and hit him on the head, grinning.

"You did it, Yuuto! Hmmm. So that's a Holy-Demonic sword. It looks beautiful since the white and black thing is mixed." It was a rather interesting sword. One that combined demonic and holy energy. Just like how I unleashed my demonic energy using Excalibur Destruction as an outlet, mixing my power with its holy energies.

The blonde-haired prince stared at me, eyes widened. "Shirou-kun, did you just call me Yuuto?

I turned away turning a slight pink color. "W-Well of course. I mean we're friends and everything, so there shouldn't be too much problem with me finally starting to call you by your first name. It bother you that much?" It's true. Yuuto and I were comrades and he was my best friend (OK, best MALE friend. The role of best friend unfortunately goes to Kiryuu since she's been with me for much longer), so it was only natural for me to start referring to him on a first name basis.

Yuuto's smile quickly returned. "No. Please call me that from now on, OK?" He seemed rather happy for some reason. It only made me feel more embarrassed. It felt much more awkward than calling Akeno-san or Asia by their first names.

"A-Alright then, Yuuto." It got easier to say it as time went on.

"NOOOOOOO!" Mako-nee suddenly grabbed me by the shoulders and started shaking me back and forth like a fucking maraca. "NO NO NO NO! I REFUSE to let you fall down that path! Stay away from that world, Shirou! I already almost lost you a moment ago! I won't lose you again to that world!"

"What the Hell are you talking about!?" I couldn't help but notice a slight pink on Yuuto's cheeks as he watched Mako-nee manhandled me. Apparently he understood whatever I was missing.

I had no idea what the Hell she was talking about!

This went on like that for a while.

"…Kiba-san. We can do club activities together again, yes?" Asia asked Yuuto with a worried face. Ah yes. She was also worried about Yuuto through everything. Even after learning about the nonexistence of God, she was still so worried about everyone I was about to say "I'm okay"…

"Yuuto."

Buchou called Yuuto's name. Buchou welcomed himwith a smile.

"Yuuto. I'm glad you returned. Also to reach Balance Breaker. I am proud."

"…Buchou. I…To everyone in the club… Most of all, I betrayed you who saved my life once… I can't find the words to express my apology…"

Buchou's hand patted Yuuto's cheek. I couldn't help but feel somewhat jealous. It must feel nice to be comforted by Buchou.

"But you have returned. That is enough. You can't waste the feelings of your comrades."

"Buchou… I will promise you once again. I, Kiba Yuuto, will protect you and my comrades for the rest of my life as the Knight of Rias Gremory's group."

"Ufufufu. Thank you. But you can't say that in front of Shirou, okay?"

Ah. Apparently Buchou noticed my eyes filled with jealousy.

"We...Well I'd like to be Buchou's Knight, but I suppose nobody but you could fill that role. So take responsibility and finish that task to your last breath!"

"Yeah. I know, Shirou-kun." He said it with a shy face. I felt somewhat uncomfortable about it for some reason.

"Now..." Buchou's hand ended up being covered in a red aura while making a dangerous sound.

I grinned, laughing somewhat. "Ara ara. It appears that Yuu-to's-in-trou-ble~"

Yuuto seemed confused yet understandably afraid. "U-Um, what's happening Buchou?"

"Yuuto. It's a punishment for acting by yourself. 1000 spanks."

The reinforcements from the Maou arrived thirty-minutes after everything ended. During that time, Yuuto was spanked while I laughed on the ground. It was really painful, but it felt like a good way to end things...until-

"Shirou." Mako-nee appeared next to me, whispering in my ear while I was laughing at Yuuto's suffering, causing me to pause. "Meet up with me later. I'll finally tell you what happened...and I'll finally tell you the truth you've forgotten."

And that ominous statement let me know this was not yet over.

* * *

**Later...**

I couldn't help but feel somewhat annoyed that I wasn't allowed to get any sleep after the big battle against Kokabiel, but I think it might've been worth it to learn why I didn't have any serious injuries or how my arm mysteriously grew back despite the fact it had been lopped off the previous day.

So sometime later into the night...or into the next morning...whichever. Either way, I ended up quietly sneaking out of my bed and tip-toeing downstairs.

I couldn't help but wonder where I should wait for Mako-nee when I turned and ended up being surprised to see her sitting at the dining room table, a single candle illuminating her face with an eerie blue light...

Wait...blue?

I took a closer look and realized that the flame that had lit the candle was an azure blue.

I was confused.

"Sit down, Shirou." Mako-nee commanded. Her expression was dead serious.

Listening to my Onee-sama, I took a seat at the table opposite her.

"First, let me explain to you what happened during the battle against Kokabiel...it pertains to your blood which makes you the heir to our ancestor, Satan-sama..." I immediately went silent as Mako-nee explained to me all of the things that happened while I was blacked out.

She told me about how the sorrow and rage of Raynare's apparent death made me lose control, breaking the seal she had placed on my powers entirely and releasing the sealed away fragment of the soul that had once belonged to Satan. It would explain why I felt different all of a sudden.

She told me how this soul fragment took over my body entirely and completely annihilated Kokabiel with blue flames. I didn't think he was a bad guy at first because Mako-nee told me how he healed Raynare's lethal wounds.

"It's because all of the powers of the Devils originated from those flames that belonged to Satan-sama. The Power of Destruction, the Phenex clan's regeneration, all of them." She explained. "He was able to use the healing abilities in the flames to allow Raynare to regenerate."

It made sense.

I held my breath when Mako-nee went on to tell me that after I (being possessed by Satan) killed Kokabiel, Satan almost didn't release his hold on my body. He even went as far as to threaten everyone with his demonic power...

I...He might've used my body to actually hurt my friends...

And it was Buchou...it was Buchou who saved me...with her tears. She had cried because I had been weak...because I almost lost myself...

"Aaaaaand that's when he released your body and nothing else happened." I could tell by Mako-nee's sneaky smile that something had indeed happened, but she refused to tell me what.

I admit I felt somewhat happy that me and Mako-nee returned to how we could just mess with one another jokingly...

Then Mako-nee's expression became serious. "And now it's time to reveal the truth behind our past. The truth behind what happened on that night. The night when Lady Miyako died."

Lady Miyako...? Why did Mako-nee call Oka-sama in such a formal way?

Mako-nee then raised a single hand, causing me to jump when a small flame burst into existence in the palm of her hand. "These flames were handed down to use by our ancestor, the former Devil King, Satan. Our grandfather possessed these flames, our father possessed these flames, and now we possess them as well, but it appears the actual heir of Satan is you seeing as you are the one who inherited the fragment of his soul." Mako-nee didn't necessarily seem pleased about that fact.

It wasn't out of jealousy that she didn't like it, but fear and worry. I couldn't blame her...I almost lost my body to that bastard...

"Also, one more thing I should explain. Miyako Fujimura was not my birth mother. I considered her my liege lord and a dear friend, but she was not my biological mother." I let that shocking realization sink in. Mako-nee and I came from different mothers. We were only half-siblings. I shook my head. No! Even if we only shared half of the same blood, she would always be my Onee-sama! "We have different mothers, but our father was one and the same. My mother was a Pure-blooded Devil from one of the Extra Clans. I am a Pure-blood Devil while you only possess half Devil blood which is why I was able to restrain your Satan powers with seals..." Mako-nee paused. "No. I should probably get to the point and explain what happened. No more stalling. I will tell you who killed your mother, Shirou."

Somehow...deep in my gut, I knew who it was before she said it. Mako-nee seemed to respect Oka-sama, so she probably would never do such a thing. I couldn't have done it since I was too young for my powers to manifest...So there was only one person.

"That night, I had arrived too late...I fought the assailant briefly, but he was too powerful to defeat as I was back then...I managed to get back home in time to save you from perishing, but it was too late as Lady Miyako laid dead on the floor...Shirou...The person who killed Miyako Fujimura...who bathed her body in flames of azure...was our father, Lucius Satan."

**And with that final realization, I end the climactic chapter and simultaneously end Kokabiel's life~!**

**GAHAHAHAAHAHAHA! I hope you've all enjoyed!**

**It has been a fun couple of months and now Shirou's heritage is fully revealed as are the circumstances behind his mother's death. Another twist with him and Makoto being half-siblings. Doesn't make it any less weird that she has a brother complex.**

**And for the records, those two names I mentioned before, they WILL appear later on in the story. They have a purpose and have something to do with Shirou's past prior to becoming the Demon King of Kuoh.**

**Anywho~!**

**Thanks for the reads and reviews~!**

**Bye-Bye~!**


	22. Chapter 21: No Rest For The Weary

**And we move on from the little chapter from before...There will be...something...I don't know...**

**Anyone see Star Driver? Anyone with skill wanna try a fic for it? I'd be willing to help out. No? OK then. I was just bored.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except certain OC's.**

**Chapter 21:**

**No Rest For The Weary**

It's been a few days since the incident with Kokabiel...

Really, that wasn't what stayed at the front of my mind...It was something Mako-nee had told me shortly after the battle was over.

_"_-Shirou...The person who killed Miyako Fujimura...who bathed her body in flames of azure...was our father, Lucius Satan."__

Her words were burned into my brain.

My father...the man who shares the same Satan blood as me...he killed Oka-sama...

I wasn't sure how to process that...

So much revealed in one night and it felt like my brain was going to explode...Mako-nee told me to go to bed after that. Yeah, real great advice after you just told your kid brother that his father killed his mother. Way to go, Mako-nee.

It sounded like Mako-nee had a few things she still wasn't ready to talk about to me at the moment.

As I made my way to school, I noticed Sakura walking nervously next to me.

Yeah, I wasn't stupid. I picked up a few hints during the battle and I pretty much figured out her secret.

"So how long did you know I was Satan's descendant?" I asked right out of the blue.

There. Like a band-aid.

Sakura looked as if she had been doing her best to prepare for the question, but she still seemed very nervous when I finally asked it.

"The entire time." She admitted. "The moment I was born...you have been my destined master. We were bound by blood and soul since our creation."

….What?

Sakura suddenly stopped and turned to me, causing me to frown at her.

"What...what do you mean, Sakura?"

"I was born from a fraction of your soul. For descendants of Satan, the Great Snakes are born to serve."

"Huh?" I had a confused expression on my face.

Sakura's expression was remorseful and nervous. "It was a contract formed by Satan-sama and the Great Snakes' great ancestor, my great grandpappy, Arystar."

I stared blankly. "Two things: First off...'grandpappy'? You really call him that? We're certainly going to discuss that at greater length later, but for now I'd like to ask what the contract entitled."

Sakura nodded.

"Every generation of Satan's blood, there will be a single lucky serpent who is born under the same night sky as their destined master. I was born the same night as you, Master. It was on that night that a fragment of your own soul latched itself onto mine, forever binding me as your servant and binding us as one being for all eternity. I've known you since before we even met, Master. That is how I knew."

"Ah...makes sense." At the very least, it doesn't make any less sense than anything else I've encountered thus far.

There was a long awkward pause.

"Are you angry, Master...?" I turned to Sakura and I saw that her head was hung in shame. "Do you hate me?"

"Nope." I answered bluntly. "I was just curious." Before Sakura could even voice any kind of words of surprise, I waved them off. "Well, it's not like it's the worst secret I've had hidden from me. Certainly not the worst. I mean, being bonded to a hot Sakura Matou-lookalike certainly isn't the worst fate in the world."

Sakura blushed. "So...Master won't reject me?"

"Course not." I patted Sakura on the head. "You're my precious familiar and my friend. Apparently our souls are bonded or whatever so rejecting you would be like rejecting myself."

Sakura smiled shyly. "Master...So...So can I stay with you? Forever and ever?"

I sighed before I figured out how to permanently erase all of her doubts. "If my word doesn't satisfy you, then how about this: Sakura, as your master, I order you to always stand by my side! You are my partner until the day I die and even in the next life."

Sakura smiled more brightly. "Yes, Master! I'll be your loyal servant until the end of time itself! I'll also do my best to become the greatest lover you will ever have!"

"Yea-Wait what?" I blinked as I barely missed what Sakura just said.

Sakura stuck out her tongue playfully before taking to running. "Nothiiiing~!"

Well...that happened.

To school then!

* * *

**Later...**

Where did the Fallen Angels ORC members go, you ask? Well, that answer is simple.

They...Raynare and Kalawarner and those other two...they left.

I end up being so happy that they're both okay, but then I end up learning that they have to leave.

* * *

"Our mission was to observe and report Kokabiel's activity." Kalawarner had explained. "With Kokabiel dead now, we must return to the Grigori and report to Azazel-sama."

I had been so shocked. I mean...I knew deep down that they wouldn't be able to stay forever, but...I still felt sad.

"We want to stay longer, but with everything that's happened, the Fallen Angels have a lot of explaining to do. The other factions won't remain silent after this."

Raynare had such a sad expression. "I'm sorry...I wanted to help you fulfill your dream...but..."

I gently patted Raynare on the head, smiling gently. "Don't worry. Things will work out. And when we meet again, I hope you don't forget our promise. I'll seriously be counting on you to help me build that world I dreamed of. You can be by my side for however long you want."

Raynare smiled, her face turning a slight pink. "Right...I'm looking forward to that day..."

Then Kalawarner gained a flirty smile."Don't worry, we'll probably be back before too long with all the trouble you stir up here." That remark was said in a teasing tone...but she did have a point. I DO have a habit of attracting trouble. "So here's a present as thanks for all of the fun."

Then she kissed me lightly on the lips. I felt more embarrassed about how she worded that statement. It sounded so misleading.

"K-Kalawarner!" Raynare had complained. She had such a red color on her face. I also turned red.

I...I didn't remember quite a few things about the battle against Kokabiel, but I remembered the moment before I apparently became possessed by Satan.

She had said those three words that could make or break a relationship: I love you.

I appreciate the fact that she thought she was gonna die, but I did not return those feelings...I don't think anyway. I think the whole idea was soured after she kind of speared me through the heart. I've forgiven her for the act itself, but I still had leftover feelings about that.

"Ara ara, it looks like Ray-chan is jealous of a certain someone~" Kalawarner teased. "Well, then I guess that both makes us his potential harem girls."

Raynare gave Kalawarner a blank stare at that. Then her face became a deep shade of red.

"EEEEEEHHHHHH!? Really?!"

Kalawarner gently grabbed Raynare's hands and they shared a sisterly smile. "Of course. Technically we're ahead of dear Rias since we charmed him first~ Together he is ours~"

"H-Hai! We Fallen Angels won't lose to the likes of Rias Gremory or the other Devils!" Raynare suddenly seemed excited.

"Personally, while I'm not typically one to share, I am willing to collaborate with a teammate. So let's give it our best, Ray-chan!"

"Hai!"

* * *

I...I was horribly lost...Had no idea whatsoever what the hell they were talking about...I kind of zoned out for a while after Kalawarner kissed me on the lips. I only zoned back in right at that last sentence.

Apparently Raynare was in love with this other guy enough to become a harem girl. I'm glad Kalawarner finally got over that other douchebag who broke her heart and found a perverted yet good-hearted guy...Well, that's the only kind of guy I can think of who she would be willing to share with other harem girls...

He was a lucky bastard whoever he was...Wait...why did I feel like an idiot all of a sudden? Like I somehow missed something important...I didn't even know how much time passed after Kalawarner kissed me that I came to...

And that pretty much sums up that goodbye...Me zoning out and having no clue whose harem those two were trying to be a part of...I wonder what that guy is like...

He's probably a jerk or some kind of idiot...am I JEALOUS?

Seriously though. It felt like I had missed something very important...

Anyway, the shock and surprises didn't stop at that.

Back to HERE and NOW, Asia, Sakura, and I ended up going to the ORC clubroom later on for a meeting.

I admit, winning against Kokabiel didn't seem to be in my favor so far...I mean first Kalawarner and Raynare leave, and then there was Irina shortly after. I couldn't say goodbye to her. It only would've made things worse. I also wouldn't be able to tell her about the battle against Kokabiel for two very important reasons:

1) I'm not sure how long I'd be able to last before I accidentally mentioned God's death to the religious zealot-like girl. She would either break down or more likely kill me for spewing such "heretical lies".

2) I wouldn't be sure how long I'd last before I accidentally mentioned the fact I'm a descendant of one of the people she hates as a member of the Church. She forgave me for becoming a Devil, but if she found out I was Satan's descendant, what little pleasantness existed between us would be destroyed.

So...as much as it hurt me, I let her leave without saying goodbye...

I thought I had had enough of surprises or changes as of late, but then-

"EEEEEHHHHHHH!?" I would like to say it was either Sakura or Asia who screamed out of surprised...but it was me.

"Hey, Shirou-sama."

The reason I had screamed was because I was really shocked by the sudden appearance of the foreign-looking girl with blue hair sitting on the sofa in the ORC clubroom.

WHAT IS SHE DOING HERE?! Then I said it aloud.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!"

For a brief moment, I thought that Xenovia was back for a fight. Then black wings grew out of Xenovia's back. The wings of a Devil. Wait a second...

"I found out that God is gone. So I turned into a Devil as a self-abandonment. I received a Knight piece from Rias Gremory. It seems like I'm not that great, while Durandal is. So I was able to become a Devil with 1 piece. And I was also placed in this school. From now on, I'm a 2nd year student and also a member of the Occult Research Club. Lets get along, Shirou-sama." She made a cute noise while having a serious face.

"H-How the Hell did you do that?!" Despite the serious expression, that sounded like a noise Irina would make!

"I copied Irina, but it looks like it's not easy."

I rubbed the back of my neck. "So trying to copy Irina, huh? Well...I'll admit it was funny at least." I then turned to Buchou. "Is it really alright to use such a valuable piece, Buchou?"

"Well. Having a Durandal wielder feels reliable. With this, it's a birth of the three swordsmen, along with you and Yuuto." I had to admit, it would be useful to have another Holy Sword wielder. I mean with my copied Holy Swords, Kiba's Blade Blacksmith, and Xenovia's Durandal, that made three powerful Holy Sword-wielders.

But I will admit my own swordsmanship isn't quite on the same level as Kiba or Xenovia. I have a more novice style of balancing my lack of technique with my raw power.

Anyway, if Xenovia was here...

"So how was Irina?" I was worried for a brief moment since Irina had only recently recovered from her injuries.

"Irina returned to headquarters along with the corpse of Valper and the 5 Excaliburs including mine. The "fragments" that act as the cores were retrieved in that state. So the mission of retrieving it was accomplished. If they have the cores, they can use alchemy to make the Holy Swords again."

Ah, so the Church was gonna forge new Excaliburs so they could be used to kill Devils all over again. Good to know...Well we already destroyed them once, so it shouldn't be any more difficult to destroy them again.

"Was it alright to give them your Excalibur? More like, was it okay for you to betray the Church?"

There had to be SOME kind of repercussions.

"I have to give them the Excalibur back just in case. Unlike the Durandal, there are other wielders that could be chosen. Having Durandal is enough for me. When I mentioned the absence of God to them, they became silent. So I became an outsider for knowing the absence of God. The Church hates outsiders and heresy very much. Even if that person is the wielder of Durandal, they will cut them off. Exactly the same way as the incident with Asia Argento."

She laughed at herself…I felt my anger towards the Church increase. If a person makes a single choice they disagree with, they're cut off like a diseased limb. I didn't like Xenovia much before, but she was still a person, not to mention a follower of their teachings. She didn't deserve such a fate any more than Asia did.

"Irina was lucky. Even if she wasn't in the battle because of the wounds, she ended up not knowing the truth. She has a stronger belief than me. If she found out about God, I don't know what would have happened to her."

The more modest the Christian is, the more painful it would be if they found out the truth. In the worst case, it means that their whole life was rejected. If that happens, you won't know what would happen to humans...

"Except, she was really disappointed that I became a devil. I couldn't tell her that it was because of the absence of God. It was an awkward farewell that we had. Maybe we might be enemies the next time we meet." Xenovia then blinked, as if remembering something. "Ah yes. Irina asked me to deliver a message to you, Shirou-sama."

"What message? I-" I blinked, noting at that moment that Xenovia had used the '-sama' honorific with my name.

Xenovia took this as the signal to go ahead. She cleared her throat.

"[Shi-chan, I hope next time we meet will be under better circumstances. I'm sure God will forgive me for being with a Devil if he is my husband-to-be. I trust you to prepare to be my future husband as I shall prepare to be your future wife.] That is the message she asked me to pass onto Shirou-sama."

I blushed slightly before I noted several powerful killing intents gathering behind me.

Yeah...Even though I told Buchou that a marriage between one from the Church and a Devil probably wouldn't be allowed, she, Akeno-san, Sakura, and Asia (somewhat) radiated a powerful killing intent towards Irina who was not even there.

I blinked. "Two questions. First one I want answered: What did the geezers at the Church say when they found out I wielded Excalibur Destruction?"

Xenovia's expression became one of amusement. "They were rather unhappy when they found out that a Devil wielded one of their beloved Excaliburs. They said something about cleansing it for several days to rid it off its taint." I grinned. Glad it made such an impact on them. "I admit I had to restrain myself when they began to speak ill of Fujimura Miyako-sama." My grin faded to a frown and Xenovia's amusement vanished. "They claimed that the heretic son of a heretical Exorcist was unworthy of wielding the Excalibur. They spoke ill of both my sword master's friend and Shirou-sama."

There it was again!

I nodded. "I see...Second question: Why do you keep calling me "Shirou-sama"?"

Xenovia's expression became serious once more. "I must show you proper respect as Satan-sama's descendant."

Then the atmosphere went cold.

She kind of addressed a bit of an elephant in the room.

Ever since the battle against Kokabiel, there had been no conversation regarding the fact I was possessed or the fact I was Satan's descendant and "heir". I don't think they even knew Mako-nee told me about what happened. I think they might've been trying to keep it secret even though it was bound to come out at some point.

Before anyone could say anything, I sighed. "Yeah. I know about everything that happened." There was a bit more tension in the air. "What? Did you really I wouldn't find out sooner or later? Besides, there are a few things that would've given it away-LIKE THIS."

DUN DUN! I released my Devil wings and let it be known what had changed to the others.

Rather than the normal TWO wings, eight-COUNT'EM EIGHT- Devil wings sprouted from my back in a way that made me look like a total badass.

Everyone froze. Sakura simply stared at me with the respect she usually did when she was being serious.

I maintained a straight expression as I turned back to look at my wings. "Yeah. It's not just that. I've been feeling a bit stronger lately. My strength and stamina have increased to the point that I can take on Low-class enemies with even less effort than before and Mid-class enemies without much difficulty and even certain High-class enemies if I actually try. I can also feel my magical power increased. It's probably far from the power Satan had when he possessed me, but I'm certainly more powerful than I was before. Mako-nee told me it's because the seal she placed on my Satan blood was broken. All of the demonic power I had unknowingly been accumulating over the years is finally being released. Mako-nee told me my power would probably be around that of a High-class Devil, Mid-class Devil at the very least since I've yet to figure out how to control my powers."

I let that sink in. Those blue flames that Mako-nee and Satan were able to use, I could not summon them. I could use other spells that I'd learned during my training with Akeno-san, but I was unable to use [Satan Flames] as I called them. Mako-nee said that due to my lack of control, my power was much weaker than it was supposed to be...I'll admit that was a huge blow to my pride.

I retracted my wings and I bowed my head. "I'm sorry for all the trouble I caused when Satan possessed me."

Then I felt a warm pair of arms wrap around me. I looked up to see Buchou smiling warmly at me as she embraced me.

I felt myself blush slightly. Ah, Buchou~! Your hugs are the best~! Yep yep! Hugs from Onee-sama-type girls are definitely the best~!

"I'm just glad you're okay." I noticed a slight trembling in Buchou's voice. "Just...promise never to leave my side...Don't lose yourself again..." Buchou's trembling got even worse and if she got any worse, she might've broken into tears right there and then.

I smiled to myself and returned Buchou's embrace. "I promise. I won't lose control like that ever again."

Yep. This was definitely the girl I fell in love with.

Even if I still felt conflicted because of the equal love I felt for Irina, I was definitely still in love with Buchou.

When I released Buchou, I turned to the others. "OK, just cos I'm Satan's descendant doesn't mean I want you guys calling me "Satan-sama" or "Shirou-sama" or anything like that. I'm not any less the man I was before. Blood doesn't make a person who they are. It's the choices they make, understand? I'm just Shirou Fujimura. I don't want to be treated as anyone else just cos I'm related to some guy who died hundreds of years ago. I want us to be the same friends we were before." I

[Right!]

Everyone replied in unison. I was surprised by how easily they accepted it. Then I realized they were smiling, relieved.

Then I realized they had been worried I would change. I smiled.

With the exception of Xenovia, these were the people I wanted to protect. My friends. That would never change.

After that was taken of, Buchou started to speak after confirming everyone was present.

"The Church made contact with us Devils. More precisely, the Maou talk about this incident. They said, "We would like to make contact with you because of unclear and dishonest actions of the Fallen Angels even though we feel unsatisfactory about this". They also apologized about Valper because it was their mistake for letting him escape in the past."

"But this school is truly terrifying. Because there's another sister of Maou attending this school." Xenovia said while making a sigh.

Another sister of a Maou?! Who-...Dear Maou it's Sona-Kaichou, isn't it?

As if reading my mind, both Buchou and Sakura who always had good senses when it came to such things nodded.

"The truth about this incident was sent to the God-side and the Devils' side by the Governor of the Fallen Angels, Azazel. The theft of the Excalibur was an action taken by Kokabiel only. The other leaders didn't know about it. He planned to break the tension between the three sides. If he had been alive, his punishment since he tried to start another war would have been for him to be put in the Cocytus for eternity in a frozen state. But apparently his fate was ultimately the death penalty."

I nodded. "Yeah. That sounds about right...We all know the truth as do many from the Fallen Angel faction. We'll all back that up. It all ended with Vanishing Dragon interfering after Satan possessed me and used my body to kill Kokabiel."

Buchou then continued. "There would also be a meeting between the representatives of the Angels, Devils, and Azazel. Apparently there is something Azazel wants to talk about. I heard that maybe Azazel would be apologizing about Kokabiel then. Though it's suspicious if Azazel would apologize."

Sakura sighed. "It's amazing how little you trust the Fallen Angels even now, Buchou." I agreed with that.

Then again, perhaps it's not Fallen Angels in general she distrusts, but rather the Fallen Angel Governor.

Buchou shrugged. "We were also invited to that meeting. We have to report about the incident at the meeting because we were involved."

"Seriously?!" I was shocked, but excited. Everyone else was just shocked. I mean, I was gonna get to meet the awesomely powerful leaders of all three factions! Lucifer-sama, Azazel, and Michael-sama! Three names that were mentioned in the Bible!

But there was something I wanted to know. "The Vanishing Dragon belongs to the side of the Fallen Angels, right? What rank would he be in their group in terms of strength?"

"That's right. Azazel is gathering Sacred Gear possessors who has a [Longinus]. I don't know what he is thinking, but it's definitely something not good. The Vanishing Dragon is the top fighter among them. I heard that he is the fourth or fifth strongest out of all the strong people there including the leaders of Grigori. At this point, even with you new power, he is far stronger than you, who is his rival."

Fourth strongest? I smirked. "We'll see about that. When our time to fight comes, I'll mop the floor with his smug ass." And I'll do it WITHOUT that cursed power that made my friends so afraid. I won't let Satan take over again, cos next time I might not get my body back.

"…That's right. I will apologize to Asia Argento. Since God didn't exist, then his love and help didn't as well. I'm sorry, Asia Argento. Hit me much as much as you want." Xenovia bowed her head down. The Japanese way of apologizing. Even though her expression didn't change, I could tell her words were genuine.

Asia gave a smile that was clearly forgiving. "….No, I don't intend to do something like that. Xenovia-san, I'm enjoying my current lifestyle. Even though I'm a Devil now, I met someone… people who are important to me. I am happy because of the place I live in now and the people I have met." Even though she'd learned of the nonexistence of God like the rest of us, she still possessed the will to keep moving forward. That's what I liked about her...

For some reason, Asia blushed when she saw me looking at her. Yeah. I could've sworn everyone's been having different expressions when they looked at me for some reason. Buchou and Asia were blushing, Akeno-san had a naughty expression more than usual, and even Kiba seemed to be smiling more than usual. Koneko-chan just seemed much less annoyed with my existence.

I was surprised when Xenovia turned and bowed her head to me. "I would also like to apologize to you, Shirou Fujimura."

I frowned. "For what?"

"During our second meeting, I used your mother's name to justify my actions and convince you to see they were right. Even if she had the beliefs of the Church, I do not think she would have approved of such actions. My sword master told me that she was a good person who risked life and limb to protect the innocent, be they human or even Fallen Angel and Devil. That is why she was seen as a heretical woman. I thought she had fallen from the Church's good grace because of these feelings, but now I see it was her kind and unbiased heart that caused them. I am sorry I thought she would ever approve of my actions."

"Ah." Was what I said, surprised. "Well...to be honest, I fully planned on punching you in the face to cleanse myself, but now I'd feel like a huge jerk after that apology." Xenovia nodded. I simply patted her on the head, smiling. "Welcome to the team."

Xenovia smiled only slightly. "Thank you, Shirou-sama."

I frowned again. Even though I just told her not to call me "Shirou-sama", she did it yet again.

Xenovia then turned back to Asia. "… So only you and I are the only Christians that found out about the absence of God. I won't be able to say something like a divine punishment to you now. So a heretic huh? Like Miyako-sama, I was a Holy Sword user who was admired, but seen now a heretic huh? I can't forget about how their eyes and attitudes changed when they saw me." I couldn't help but pity the girl as I noticed the look of sadness in her eyes.

Oka-sama, did you have those same eyes when you left the Church?

"Then I will be leaving. There's a lot of things I need to know about before transferring to this school."

Xenovia started to leave.

"U-Umm!" Asia stopped Xenovia.

"On the next weekend I'm going to go out to play with everyone. Would you also like to join, Xenovia-san?" Asia said it with a smile.

Xenovia had widened her eyes in shock and then gave a bitter smile.

"Next time then. This time I'm not interested. Except..."

"Except?"

Xenovia smiled as she continued. "Can you take me around the school next time?"

"Yes!" Asia said with an even brighter smile.

I found myself smiling at the sight as well. I found myself actually hoping we could all become good friends. At first I thought she was a bitch, but really, Xenovia was a good person. A little biased against Devils initially because of the Church's teachings, but a good person nonetheless. I know she is someone I can count on to have my back.

"I will swear it in the name of my Holy Sword, Durandal. I also would like to have a battle with the Holy-Demonic sword user over there as well."

"Alright. I won't lose next time." Yuuto replied with a smile.

I grinned. "Don't leave me out. If there's a fight between strong people, I wanna be involved." I pointed a finger at Xenovia. "I've been wanting to fight you since we first met." Xenovia nodded at me, smiling still before leaving the room.

Xenovia's not the only person who'd changed in such a short time. Since the battle against Kokabiel, I've noticed that Yuuto had also gotten stronger.

Buchou clapped her hands to gather our attention again.

"Now. Since everyone has returned again, let's start the club activity again!"

[YES!]

We all replied in perfect unison.

That day...all of us laughed again. I felt so happy. To be able to laugh with my friends again...It resonated with another time I had felt similar feelings...

Everyone...I'm happy I was given this second chance...

* * *

The day we were all going to hang out together had finally arrived! The promised day of bowling and karaoke.

I tried inviting Buchou and Akeno-san, but they had other things to take care of. I even tried inviting Saji and Kaichou for all of the help they gave us, but they were busy. Because of the sudden departure of the Fallen Angels, Raynare and Mittelt weren't present either...

I admit it was hilarious watching Matsuda's reaction when he found out Mittelt wouldn't be coming. He pretty much flipped out. He tried accusing me of doing and dumping her...so I punched him in the face. Knocked him out cold, I did.

Sakura and I sang a duet of Fate/Stay Night Realta Nua Fate route opening. While I was a little self-conscious about singing in front of everybody, I was apparently good judging from the way Murayama and Katase (whom I invited in the place of our two missing attendees) clapped and cheered.

It may have been my imagination, but I could've sworn I saw Sakura give the two of them a thumbs up.

What was that about?

Of course those two jerks Matsuda and Motohama were booing me, mostly out of jealousy for my popularity with girls. Or maybe it was more because I always seemed to be around the most beautiful girls. Hehe. I guess it's my fortune in life! Becoming a Devil was the best decision I've ever made!

I found that I actually liked to sing casually. I sometimes hummed or sang to occupy my mind while training, but I never really thought about it.

Asia also seemed to be enjoying herself and she also looked incredibly cute in the gothic lolita outfit she wore. Because of that, I did not feel tempted to smack Kiryuu upside the head for further corrupting her. Koneko-chan was mostly eating ice cream and pizza. And of course Yuuto was still acting like a fancy gentleman, sipping coffee in an elegant way that kind of pissed me off.

You're a prince! WE GET IT!...Stupid Prince...

After a few more songs, I decided to take a break since my throat was so dry.

It was while I was sipping the juice I bought that I got two messages on my phone.

The first was from Buchou. It was a picture of her in a swimsuit. A little message asking "Do you like this one?" was attached. I had a nosebleed before I immediately typed "Yes" as fast as I could with my fingers and pressed save to save the photo.

Shortly after, I got a message from Akeno-san with another picture of her in an even MORE daring swimsuit...if you could call it that. It covered the bare minimum and prevented people from being able to say "Why is she naked?". The message said "Ara ara. I hope you like this because I picked it just for you." I had another nosebleed before I attempted to click save again.

I noticed someone snatching the phone out of my hand and jumped back when I noticed it was Sakura. Koneko-chan was next to her giving me a strange disapproving look.

She was radiating a powerful, violet aura that spelled DEATH. "Oh. I'll save that for you, Master." Then she threw my phone onto the ground and started stomping on it with every last bit of strength she had, smashing it to pieces. She was being oddly more possessive than usual. Or it could be she was jealous of Buchou and Akeno-san's oppai. While Sakura's were big, Buchou's and Akeno-san's were still bigger by a fair margin.

Koneko-chan seemed to be silently cheering Sakura on for some odd reasons judging from her intent stares.

"GAAAH!" I screamed in horror as my pictures of Buchou and Akeno-san were smashed into nothingness. "MY PRECIOUS MEMORIES!"

"...Shirou-senpai. There is blood dripping from your nose." Koneko-chan said it with an annoyed look on her face.

I realized blood was still dripping from my nose from my previous nosebleeds. I quickly wiped my nose on my sleeve and released a breath filled with my feelings of loss.

"Oya? The size of the thing in your crotch is-" I punched Kiryuu on the top of her head, glaring at her.

"Oi! No one asked for your input, you female Pervy Glasses Character!"

"...Were you thinking about Buchou-san? Or maybe Akeno-san?" Asia asked with an unpleasant expression. Her words were sharp. Almost sharper than any blade I could create.

I raised my hands in defense. "Erm...I..."

"Master was dreaming of doing dirty things to Buchou and Akeno-san before me..." Sakura said, her eyes shrouded in darkness behind her hair and glowing with a terrifyingly evil red light.

"GYAH!?" Katase suddenly appeared, shock and betrayal in her voice. "Was Shirou-sama really going to do such ecchi things with someone else!?"

"Y-You perverted pig!" Murayama shouted, glaring daggers at me. But she sounded more jealous of the girls than anything.

Shit! I was in a tight spot! It seems every girl around me suddenly wants to kill me!

Quick, Shirou! Use every last bit of your wit and cunning to think of an excellent escape strategy!

I pointed behind them. "Hey, what's that over there?!" Hey, it worked before, it was bound to work again. Sure enough, all of the girls turned to look at the non-existent object I pointed at. I took the opportunity while they were distracted to run away. "Gotta go to the bathroom!" was my excuse.

And that was I made my grand escape!...my SECOND grand escape anyway...

* * *

After I was certain the coast was clear, I sneakily made my way out of the wash room and ended up avoiding getting caught by the girls who previously wanted to kill me. They were all off doing something else.

I ended up seeing a familiar Stupid Prince sitting in a chair with his usual cheer. I gave Yuuto a peace sign before I took the chair next to him.

"Oh. Did something happen?" He asked, smiling.

I chuckled at that question. "You could say that. I swear. With all of the crazy dangerous stuff happening around me, I think it'll be the girls in my life who will be the end of me rather than the High-class Devils and Cadre-level Fallen Angels, hahaha!"

But it wasn't a bad thing. I was surrounded by tons of wonderful friends and even though I only have one serious guy friend, he's actually NORMAL when doing casual things unlike the Perverted Duo.

I noticed Yuuto's face gaining a pink color. "Shirou-kun. I wanted to give you my gratitude. Thank you..."

I found myself grinning, blushing in embarrassment because of Yuuto's thanks.

"Haha! It was really nothing! I mean we all forgave you and everything, so it's no big deal! And don't start that "but your arm" shit, cos I'm getting tired of that. It's all alright. You're like a brother to me. Someone I could never replace. Of course I would do anything for you, so it's no big deal."

Yuuto nodded again, smiling to himself. His face had turned slightly redder. Maybe he's coming down with a fever...poor Yuuto. "...Shirou-kun."

"Eh! Why are you staring at me with puppy dog eyes!?" It was more creepy because Yuuto actually pulled them off.

"Thank you very much for everything." He said with strong feelings. I chuckled awkwardly.

"Like I said, it's no big deal...So...What say we go sing my favorite song~?" Yes! Perfect way out of an awkward situation!...We're brothers of the soul, but that doesn't make it any less embarrassing.

"Hmm, so you have a favourite song, Shirou-kun?"

I threw a fist into the air. "Hells yeah! Fate/Stay Night Realta Nua: Horizon! Greatest song ever! I could sing that song forever!"

Yuuto chuckled nervously. "L-Looks like I need to be prepared for that."

"Who cares! Let's do a duet between the [Pawn] and the [Knight] of the Occult Research Club! We're gonna sing until we're blue in the face!"

"Yes, yes."

Funny enough, after Yuuto and I performed a few duets in karaoke, Kiryuu took some photos that she spread around the school...I ended up punching Matsuda and Motohama later cos I thought it was them, but Kiryuu came clean so I let her off with a warning.

And what happened then? Well, as in Kuoh they say – that the Shirou/Yuuto BL fanclub grew three sizes that day.

What a happy end to a happy day, right?

WRONG!

Turns out that my day wasn't meant to end on a happy note...

* * *

**Later...**

Ah, bedtime. I wasn't sure if it was my favorite or least favorite.

You see, the pros of nighttime when I was in bed was that I had three beautiful bishoujo sleeping by my side, hugging my body. I could feel their oppai pressing against my body since Buchou hugged one arm, Asia hugged the other, and since Sakura was laying flat on my chest, laying her head against me in a way I found to be adorable.

It was a perverted pleasure I couldn't help but enjoy...

The cons, however, made it harder to enjoy those pleasures. This is because the universe had deemed it fit to mash the personality of a pervert and the personality of a gentleman together in one head. I so BADLY want to touch or grope them, but my ero-mind is constantly pushed back by my gentemanly emotions!

"Come oooooon!" And thus Mini-Devil Shirou makes a comeback. He appeared on top of my head this time, looking down on me. "It's not like they're conscious! Look! I'm not telling you to go all the way! Just grope them a little! Just groping is all I ask for! Come on! They won't even notice!"

...Hmm...I...well...

"Holy shit!" Mini-Devil Shirou shouted in surprise and excitement. "You're really considering it?! HELLS YEAAAAH!"

Well...it's not like...I mean...maybe with Sakura...

My will power was crumbling. It didn't help when Sakura started stirring in her sleep before crawling further up my chest and laying her head next to my face, murmuring in my ear.

"Master...yes...harder...faster...Mmmmmm..."...She was drooling and her face was flushed red.

I felt my face flush.

S-Sakura!? W-What the Hell are you dreaming about?!

I noticed blood dripping from her nose and smiled to myself, amused. I used a nearby cloth to dry her bleeding nose.

I guess Sakura has more sides to her personality than I thought...

Damn...after seeing such a cute expression, there's no way I could even consider doing any ecchi things...

"GOD-FUCKING-DAMMIT!" Mini-Devil Shirou started screaming, pulling on his hair from unbelievable annoyance.

I admit it was almost worth losing out on the chance to touch a girl's oppai just to see the expression on Mini-Devil Me's face.

The peace that we held as I found myself almost laughing...it was shattered at that moment. I tensed.

It was faint at first, but I was eventually able to sense its entire presence.

The presence of a Devil.

It turned out my ability to sense the supernatural was something I gained due to my Satan blood. My senses were much more keen than normal Devils and, with my level of ability, I could detect a being with supernatural blood up to 100 feet away if I wanted to.

It was during this time of calmness that I sensed three different supernatural presences. And they were certainly powerful. That was definite. They were also apparently very close by and coming even closer.

I looked at the sleeping forms of Asia, Sakura, and then Buchou...

I sighed. It would be such a pain if I let these three people mess with my loved ones' sleep.

I did my best to carefully roll Sakura on her side and lay her gently down on the bed. Using great speed and stealth, I snuck out of the bed without waking the others and dressed myself. I ran out of the room as quickly as I could.

I couldn't help but hesitate when I stopped by Mako-nee's door.

The hesitance I felt couldn't be helped...Mako-nee had power equal to if not GREATER than my own considering she had had much more practice and was able to control her own Satan powers from what she'd told me.

I shook my head. No...Mako-nee chose the path of neutrality. I can't involve her in such matters. She probably had the power of at least a High-Class Devil, but she spent ten years of her life to allow me to live in peace. The least I could do is allow her to retain her neutrality. I didn't want to drag her into needless conflict.

Not hesitating any further, I ran towards the second story window at the end of the hall, opened it, and leaped out.

I spread all eight of my Devil wings and floated on top of the roof of my house.

Yeah. Ever since my Satan blood awakened, I've learned how to better use my Devil wings. I'm still far from being able to fly like a bird, but I can do simple things like increase altitude or adjust my balance midair.

After landing on the roof, I retracted my wings once more.

The approaching presences were too close for me to try and trick into pursuing me to a different battlefield. I would just have to give my all to keep them from attacking the house. I would have to fight them here and protect the others.

I'll win without the cursed power of Satan!

I summoned Blade Genesis and prepared myself for a fight.

"Lay down your arms, child of Satan-sama. We do not wish to harm you."

A sudden voice cut through the previously quiet night like a knife.

I didn't even know when the three flying figures suddenly appeared. They had bat-like wings so I immediately knew these were the Devils I had sensed earlier. Now that they were closer in proximity, I was CERTAIN they weren't anything to scoff at. These guys were strong. Stronger than Riser and possibly even Kokabiel.

I didn't exactly feel at ease when one of them told me they didn't want to harm me.

The first one had the appearance of a man dressed in light armor with a cape. He was the one who spoke to me. He seemed to have a confident expression on his face...but I sensed something under that...the aura of a manipulator...I was going to have to watch myself around this guy.

The second one had the appearance of a man wearing the clothes of a noble. He seemed more arrogant than anything, overly confident in his own power. He seemed more straightforward and seemed to only focus on the matter at hand.

The third of the group of powerful Devils was a tall bespectacled woman with a voluptuous figure. She had tan skin with long brown hair tied into a bun with a headset and purple eyes. She wore a dress that was extremely low-cut and had a high slit on it which exposed a large portion of her breasts. She seemed to be the most level-headed of the group, but shared the same arrogance...Not to mention: SHE WAS HOOOOOOT! She was also an Onee-sama! My type of woman!

"Ah. It appears that the descendant of Satan-sama is staring at me with such lustful eyes." The woman noted. I felt myself blush as I realized I was staring. I shook my head to clear my mind.

"Er...Sorry about that."

The woman gave me a respectful smile. "I only forgive it because it is Satan-sama's heir."

That must be what it is. The moment they arrived, I felt a strange familiarity in them. Not me personally...from my Satan blood. It was as if the power resting within my blood recognized them in a way...it was a strange feeling to describe...

Then I remembered the situation and I raised my guard again, mentally cursing myself. If they had attacked me seriously, I would've been dead in an instant. These people weren't ordinary. They were incredibly strong Devils.

In any other situation, the idea of fighting them would be extremely exciting, but not here. Not now. Not when Buchou, Asia, Sakura, and Mako-nee are so close to the dangerous situation.

I narrowed my eyes. "Who are you people?"

"Ah yes," The manipulative-seeming guy said. "I suppose the carrier of our true king's blood wouldn't have any reason to trust those with no name." He bowed while still floating in the air. "It's my first time meeting you, successor of Satan-sama. My name is Shalba Beelzebub. The true successor of the Great True Maou Beelzebub."

Beelzebub? But...But the current Maou with that name is Ajuka Beelzebub-sama...Wait. He said "successor". What did he mean...?

I also felt on edge from the way he spoke. He said 'True Maou' almost like Sakura did back while I was learning about the leaders of the three factions. The difference being was that he had a greater air of superiority.

Then came the arrogant yet more straightforward guy. He looked at me with absolute distrust and loathing. But the strange thing was...he looked like he was seeing someone else. Someone else he absolutely hated. I don't think he particularly cared for me and I was beginning to suspect the feeling was mutual.

"Creuserey Asmodeus." He said reluctantly. "I am the true successor of the True Maou Beelzebub. Far superior to that fake, Falbium." He clicked his tongue. "I don't see why we need this brat. He doesn't even possess full Devil blood. He's a servant to the little sister of that fake king! Not only that, he's the younger brother of the traitor, Relia or 'Makoto' as she apparently prefers now!"

I tensed at those words.

D-Do these guys know Mako-nee? And what's this "Relia" nonsense?...Perhaps it has to do with yet ANOTHER secret Mako-nee was keeping from me...But apparently she knows these three...

"Half-Devil or not, he still possesses the blood of Satan-sama. Show at least a modicum of suspect, Creuserey." The woman commanded...I liked her. Well, I definitely liked her more than the others at any rate.

Creuserey snorted but said nothing else.

The woman turned to me and bowed. "Regardless of your other blood ties, it is a pleasure to meet you, heir of Satan-sama. I am Katerea Leviathan." She had surprisingly warm eyes which I did not expect. They were serious before, but they apparently had a soft spot for me probably cos I'm the "big bad descendant of Satan". So it was more like she was being warm towards Satan rather than me.

There it was again. Beelzebub. Asmodeus. Leviathan. Those were names I've heard. They originally belonged to the original Maou-samas, but the names were given to the new, powerful Maou-samas who rule the Underworld today...They...Wait...Could it be...?

I had to confirm something...

I put on a serious expression. "My name's Shirou Fujimura...Well, if I used my bastard father's name, I think I would be called Shirou Satan, but that doesn't have much of a ring to it, does it?"

I closed my eyes, trying to control my anger at the thought of the man who murdered my mother...I had been focusing on blocking that thought out as to keep myself under control, but it filled me with endless rage every time I thought about it.

I gained a serious expression."Tell me...you bear the names of the old Maous...You are their descendants, aren't you?" It would be the only way to explain their greater than normal power and the last names. Besides, I was living proof that the blood of the former Maous was still around. Mako-nee and I were descended from their former King for Maou's sake!

I think I touched a nerve about something because I could swear all three of these guys twitched slightly.

"Do not refer to them as the OLD Maou." Shalba warned. It almost sounded threatening. "They and those with their blood, meaning us, their descendants, are the TRUE rulers of the Underworld."

So I was right. These guys were descendants of the old Maous like I was descended from Satan. Shalba from Beelzebub-sama. Katerea from Leviathan-sama. And Creuserey from Asmodeus.

They may have the blood of the original Maous, but they were arrogant as hell if they thought that their blood was enough to make them the most qualified to rule the Underworld. Still, they were strong. If I could avoid fighting them here, then it would be worth bowing my head a little bit. Besides...

"So you're the descendants of the Maou..." My eyes became filled with sparkles. "THAT'S SO FREAKING AWESOME!" Hey! Even if they were arrogant, they still had the blood of the people I wanted to surpass! "It's probably fitting that two cool-looking guys and a hot Onee-sama are the descendants of the original Maous who were like final boss characters."

"E-Eh...Thanks?" My energy apparently caught Shalba off-guard, but he quickly recovered from his shock.

Katerea seemed to turn pink for a moment, but she recovered her previous serious expression. She cleared her throat, acting as if she hadn't been embarrassed a few seconds ago. For a brief moment before she returned, I noticed a familiar look in her eyes: lust. I could've been mistaken though. Either way, it seems she only sees the heir of Satan rather than me.

"Perhaps it would be best to return to the matter at hand."

Creuserey clicked his tongue. "I already said there's no point. Just the look on his face pisses me off. Just like that old man of his..." I wasn't sure whether to feel proud or disgusted that I was like my father in the fact we pissed this guy off.

"Enough." Shalba silenced him with one word. "Like Katerea said, we should return to the main point of our meeting."

Is that what we're calling this now?

Shalba then cleared his throat. "The reason we have approached you Shirou Satan-" And apparently that was what they were calling me now even though it had NO ring to it whatsoever. "-is to invite you to join the [Khaos Brigade]." 'Khaos Brigade'? Totally evil-sounding name. Big red flag right there. "We, the descendants of the True Maou, lead a faction comrprised of those who follow those who truly deserve to rule the Underworld. We would like you, the descendant of our great king, Satan-sama, to join us and aid in leading our faction."

...And that was shocking. I mean...I was...what? I just unlocked my Satan powers and these guys were offering me a role of leadership...something stinks here.

I raised an eyebrow. "Why me exactly? Why not my father or Onee-sama?"

I noticed a bitter expression on Shalba's face. "Lucius Satan left many years ago. He showed no desire to rejoin those who are destined to rule the Underworld." Apparently he was not a fan of my father. I couldn't tell if that was good or bad. "As for Relia...Or 'Makoto'...she left a few years before Lucius did..."

So...Mako-nee was a former comrade of these guys...probably because of her Satan blood...I wonder what caused her to leave...Wait...if she worked with them, that means she used to work with our father...I had so many thoughts and so little time to process and sort all of them.

So apparently I was a last resort.

"I still don't get why you're asking me to join you." I said, trying to get my mind off of the fact that Mako-nee knows these guys.

Shalba spread his arms in a grand gesture. "Despite originally being half-human, you possess the blood and will of our great king. There are many within the false Maou's who would gladly side with us upon learning we carry the Will of Satan-sama on our side. Many would only need that reason to rally behind us. You would be rewarded as well. You would become a great leader to the Devils. Of course, you will be offered advice and possible paths to take when you are lacking in judgement."

On the surface, it sounded like a pretty good deal, but I wasn't an idiot.

The way he spoke...if I had been any less in tune with my instincts, I probably would've fallen for his manipulations.

I would only be there to give these guys a way to bring people from the current Maou's side to theirs. Even if I ever got any true power, these guys would be manipulating me from the shadows, undermining every choice I made or maybe even coercing me into following their own plans. I would be nothing but a glorified figurehead.

"Please do consider it, Satan." Katerea urged. "With you on our side, many will join us and help restore the True Maou to their rightful positions. The false Maous will be crushed and the Devils will become greater than ever before. You know that both God and the Maou no longer exist in this world. This world is in decay. It NEEDS us to recreate it."

I tensed.

'Crush the Maous'? That wasn't very vague. If these guys succeeded in carrying out their plans, they would kill the current Maous...

Wait...Buchou's brother is Lucifer...and Kaichou's older sibling is also one of the Maou...if they were killed, Buchou and Kaichou would cry...well...I can only assume that Kaichou loves her older sibling enough to cry should they die...

But mostly Buchou...Buchou would cry...

That pretty much decided it for me.

"I'll pass." I answered.

The descendants of the Old Maou seemed surprised by my rejection.

"Quite frankly, I like the current system. And throwing the world into chaos so suddenly would interfere with my own objectives."

Katerea suddenly seemed nervous. "I strongly urge you to reconsider your answer."

I narrowed my eyes. "My answer remains the same. I have no intentions of joining you."

"But-"

"Don't bother, Katerea." Creuserey interrupted. "You're too soft on those bearing Satan's blood. Since the brat doesn't want to join of his own free will, we always have Plan B."

"...Plan B?" I questioned aloud. "Look, whatever you're offering, I don't want any of it. I'm not going to join you."

"Not of your own free will, no." The way Shalba said that made me uneasy. "You see...we didn't come here for you to reject our offer." I couldn't help but notice the fairly peaceful mood from before had vanished completely. "We won't leave without someone with the blood of Satan."

I subconsciously readied the powers of my Sacred Gear. "Well you're in for a disappointment."

Shalba chuckled in a way I could only describe as 'dark'. "Well, you may be hesitant at first, but I assure you, we have more persuasive methods. It would've been better to have you of your own free will, but a brainwashed doll is acceptable I suppose."

I felt the tension in the air increase as I noted the amount of demonic power gathering around the three Old Maou Faction leaders.

Dammit! I had let my guard down too much! I expected a less sudden change in atmosphere, but they activated their killing intent without a second thought!

"Gae Buidhe!" I focused with all of my might to call forth the power of a legendary spear whose design existed within the power of Blade Genesis. I tightened my grasp around the golden spear that I willed into existence using my demonic power. It took much less stamina than it had before even though it was a more legendary weapon. I suppose that's due to my power increase. I glared at the Old Maou descendants. "If you want me, I'm not going down without a fight." In my mind, I was focusing on developing a way to draw the battle away from the area. I didn't have anyone to create barriers to contain the damage.

Katerea stared at me with serious eyes. "It's nothing personal."

He rejects the Old Maous' offer to join them despite their claim he would be allowed to not only face his father (another member who left them) but also the current Maous themselves.

Creuserey smirked. "Honestly, it'll be easier for me if I imagine it's either Relia or Lucius."

They both prepared to unleash their demonic power.

Damn damn damn damn! I can't beat them as I am right now! These guys are descended from the original Maou! Maybe...maybe if I give more of my body, I can activate my Balance Breaker for long enough to defeat these guys...maybe-

As it turned out, I didn't have to do anything.

When Creuserey had been about to unleash his attack, he suddenly stopped, quickly moving out of the way as a bright and powerful-seeming light shot by his head, missing by mere inches. Creuserey growled, glaring in the direction the light appeared from.

It was only after several seconds that I noticed that that light was in the form of a spear...

A spear of light.

For a brief moment, I foolishly thought that Kalawarner or Raynare had arrived, but then I realized they weren't stupid enough to try and take on three Maou descendants without back-up.

Besides, the people I saw when I turned around were completely unfamiliar to me.

"Ara ara, it looks like relics of the past are starting to brew up trouble." An amused voice laughed. It belonged to a girl just about a year or two older than me who sat not too far away at the top of a telephone pole. She had long, violet hair that had the strangest yellow streak in the shape of a lightning bolt in it and bright-blue eyes. While her bust wasn't the largest, it was a fair C-cup at the least-and why the Hell am I focusing on THAT?!

She must've been my senpai because she wore the girl's uniform of Kuoh Academy. She had an amused expression on her face.

She dangled her legs over the side of the telephone pole casually as if she was sitting on a fence.

"I'll admit, I didn't expect that I'd have to save a DEVIL from other Devils." She didn't sound like she hated Devils. It was more like she felt rather uncomfortable.

"Moooouuuu, no fair! I was the one who saved Shirou-nii! I even used my [Magical Kiyoshi Super Magical Holy Light Spear]!" A cute voice complained adorably. I almost had a nosebleed when I saw the person who said it. She was a petite girl, just about a year my junior, with beautiful, medium-length blonde hair tied back into a pony tail and light-blue eyes. She was dressed in a cute deep-blue magical girl's outfit and had an adorable pout on her face.

TOO CUUUUUUUTE~!

I-I was completely shocked by the girl's cuteness...or I was until I ended up shocked by something else...

Like her wings.

They were white and feathery...

Like an Angel!

My jaw dropped. The magical girl who was apparently named 'Kiyoshi' judging from the name used for her incredibly common light spear attack. She was an Angel!

Wait...was I just saved by an Angel?

Kiyoshi gave the Maou descendants a pouty look, as if scolding them. "Bad! Baaaaad! No causing trouble here, you meanies! You even tried hurting Shirou-nii!" Wait...how does this chick know my name? Not that I mind being known by a cute girl, but I'd feel like a bit of a jerk if she knew me and I didn't remember her name. Kiyoshi stuck out her tongue at the old Maous.

...Really...really too cute...

The violet-haired girl flipped her hair out of her eyes. "Geez. I come here to keep the order to make less trouble for Azazel and I get involved with these guys..." Despite looking human, I could tell this girl held some sort of power...It was...it was strange. I couldn't quite figure it out. She then turned in my direction and gave a disappointed stare. "Really? THIS is Satan's descendant. That's just disappointing."

I glared at her. "What did you say? You wanna fight?! I'll mop the floor with you, you weirdo!"

"OI!" The girl screamed back. "Don't go calling the chick whose trying to save your sorry ass a weirdo!"

"I don't even know you!" I paused as I realized something. "Wait...You said Azazel...You mean like FALLEN ANGEL Azazel?! The Fallen Angel Governor guy!?"

The girl nodded. "Yeah. The geezer's my teacher and I'm here trying to make sure nothing screwy happens." She gestured at the Maou descendants who glared at her. "And of course guys like these show up."

"This doesn't concern you, dog of Azazel." Katerea said with an insulting and cold voice.

"OI! WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU CALLING A 'DOG', YOU OUTRAGEOUSLY BUSTY COW!?" The girl with violet hair started flailing her arms about angrily.

That only served to piss Katerea off further. "Who are you calling a 'cow'?" She started trembling with rage.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Creuserey and Shalba moving back subconsciously. Yes. Even if they were Maou descendants, even they knew the one universal truth: There is no greater terror than the unbelievable hell a woman can unleash when pissed off to the point that it's ridiculous.

By this point, I wasn't sure who I should be more afraid of: Katerea who was apparently my enemy or the violet-haired girl.

**BOOOOOM!**

There was a loud crashing sound and a large flash as lightning shot through the night sky shortly followed by an outrageously loud explosion of thunder.

The strange thing was that I could've sworn the night sky was clear a moment ago. Now it was dark and cloudy.

A vein popped out on the forehead of the violet-haired girl. "I'm going to roast you alive, you bitch..." Wow. This girl had a surprisngly short temper. This feeling in the air...the aura of power...I had no doubt it all came from her.

"Yeah!" The magical girl from earlier shouted. "If you bad guys won't go away, then Magical Kiyoshi-chan will have to make you go away!" The girl held out her hand and I was shocked to see, rather than a light spear, a medium-sized flame...a WHITE flame. But I knew just touching those flames would kill me. I could sense a powerful holy element within those flames that would reduce most Devils to nothingness. "Otou-sama told me not to use these flames casually, but I will use the power I inherited from the [Flame of God] to wipe you from existence. I will gladly unleash my [Super Magical Kiyoshi Holy Flame Cannon Of Heavenly Divine Justice]!"

The girl's expression was suddenly serious despite the outrageously long name the attack had. I actually had trouble doubting Kiyoshi would be able to beat these guys. She was small, but I sensed a power from her that I think would've been able to match at least one of these guys at once. Maybe two if she pushes herself.

"Che!" Shalba said in annoyance. "Perhaps we SHOULD HAVE brought the snakes. We won't be able to fight without drawing too much attention. We can't have that...not when the plan's starting soon..." He shot an annoyed look at Kiyoshi-chan and the violet-haired girl before turning to the other descendants. "We will retreat for now." And he did just that, quickly fleeing from the area.

Creuserey growled slightly. "You lucked out, half-blood Satan brat." Then he followed after Shalba.

Katerea shot me an almost apologetic look before bowing. "Until next we meet, Shirou Satan. Hopefully you will rethink your decision."

Yeeeeeaaaa-No.

Then Katerea shot both Kiyoshi and the girl dirty looks before following after the other two.

And then it was just me, Kiyoshi, and the violet-haired girl.

"Well...that happened..." I noted. To be honest, I had no idea what just happened.

"Ah! Oji-sama will definitely wanna hear about this!" The magical girl said, winking at me. "Sorry, Shirou-nii, but I have to go back now~! I just wanted to stop by to say 'Hi'~! Oh! And Oba-sama also wanted me to say 'Hi' to you for her~!" Kiyoshi then spread her Angel wings and flapped them, flying higher into the air, leaving the area.

The violet-haired girl sighed. "Yes. Azazel's definitely gonna find this interesting...but to think I would find the child of a Seraph and the descendant of Satan while investigating a disturbance..." She seemed much calmer after taking several deep breaths. The thunder and lightning in the sky also went away.

With a pensive expression, the violet-haired girl who apparently worked for the Fallen Angels leaped off the telephone pole she sat on and gracefully landed on both of her feet after she hit the ground.

"Oi, Satan!" I looked down to see the girl looking up at me. "Just so you know, if me and the Seraph kid didn't appear, you'd either be captured or dead right now. I hope you appreciate that. You might wanna get stronger, cos even with your current strength, you'll only disappoint Vali-kun."

Eh?

Before I could ask her what she meant, the girl ran away, leaving me all alone...

Seriously...this day...why couldn't it have ended peacefully without confrontation...?

I sighed before looking up into the night sky.

I had the feeling that big things were gonna happen soon...Real soon...

* * *

**?'s POV...**

I clicked my tongue after I finished observing the spectacle from earlier.

I was rather hoping for the Old Maou to either capture or kill Shirou. It would make my revenge so much easier...

Then again, if they captured him, they would've fought like hell to protect their figurehead.

I watched from the nearby rooftop, the two opposing sides to wrapped up in their conflict to notice me...

A bright pink butterfly floated beside me. Then another appeared...then another...

More appeared until I had my own little swarm as my rage began to build up upon seeing that bastard's face...

How tempting it was...just to unleash every last bit of my Sacred Gear's power to erase him from existence. Even if he unlocked his blood's power like Cao Cao had learned from his information gathering, I could still erase him from the face of the Earth.

"Shinjiro..." I turned to see a guy wearing the same black student uniform as me with short, blue hair. He carried a staff-like weapon with three prongs over his shoulder...A trident. The other two stood not too far behind him.

I smiled at my friends who shared my feelings. "Yeah. I know. We're gonna get that bastard soon..." I stood up, brushing myself off. I looked back to the house that Shirou lived in. The bastard stared at the night sky for several minutes before he went back inside.

Just you wait...

I'm gonna make you pay for what you did to us...for what you did to Kimi...

You're gonna pay, __traitor___..._

_**Aaaaaaaand on that note: I am done~! I hope you've all enjoyed!**_

_**Haha! I hope you've all been paying attention, cos shit is gonna go down~! I initially didn't intend to add the currently unnamed violet-haired girl or Kiyoshi. They were rejected characters I had no use for before, but I needed people to balance out the new antagonists I have in store. No, they are not on a god-like level.**_

_**What Shalba meant before is that while they (the Old Maou) could have won against Kiyoshi and the unnamed girl, it would've drawn too much attention to themselves. Then Makoto would've gotten involved and then other big-time leaders were gonna get involved before the Khaos Brigade could make their grand debut. As of yet, as far as the leaders were concerned, the Old Maou were stirring, but they supposedly didn't have any big plans yet...**_

_**PS: OK, so I've had this other DxD story in mind concerning a half-wolf Youkai boy who is the younger adoptive sibling of Tomoe Meguri (who is a HUUUUUGE brocon since he fits her desires for a boy).**_

_**But I've also had this other idea concerning Star Driver...I have an idea for a new character since every other Star Driver fic, excluding one I happen to like, is either a yaoi or it sucks.**_

_**Thanks for the reads and reviews~!**_

_**Bye-Bye~!**_


	23. Chapter 22: The Maou

**And after all of the drama that occurred in the last chapter (Sort-of), it is time to start moving towards getting into the fourth story arc. Yes. Those characters I revealed before will have some importance in the future.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except OC's.**

**Chapter 22:**

**The Maou**

**Shirou's POV...**

I sighed as I arrived at my client's house, prepared to complete my duties as a Devil.

My mind was still stuck on the events of the previous night.

The Old Maou Faction...Khaos Brigade...What were they? Who were they?

Those were the questions I wanted answered. The descendants of the old Maou were the leaders of a FACTION. That meant there was more than one group within the Khaos Brigade. More people will probably evil goals. And on top of that, there was probably someone above all of them, leading the entire group and keeping it together.

...Just who were these guys?

That's the question I asked Mako-nee this morning. She seemed incredibly shocked when I brought up the 'Old Maou Faction' and almost afraid. Seeing as she was a descendant of Satan as well, I thought she would know more about them. She clearly recognized the names of the Maou descendants, but the name [Khaos Brigade] genuinely sounded unfamiliar to her due to her confusion and surprise.

When I asked more about the members of the Old Maou Faction and about her involvement as 'Relia', Mako-nee simply said she could not explain. She admitted she was once known as "Relia Satan" but that was about it...

But she never lied.

Ever since we reconciled, Mako-nee had made it a point never to lie to me again. She would withhold secrets that were too important, but she would never outright lie. She never denied being a member of the Old Maou Faction, but she refused to talk about it.

She only said not to mention my encounter with the Old Maou Faction guys to anyone until I gave my report at the peace meeting between the leaders of the three factions. It was important that this information becomes known to nobody but them.

I could understand why she wouldn't want to talk about it...Anything our father was involved with was probably unpleasant.

But who were those other two guys who showed up? That violet-haired girl and that Kiyoshi chick? They obviously had connections to the Fallen Angel and Angel groups, but that was about all I could figure out

But back to my job.

"Yo, Devil-kun. What's up?" The man who asked me that question was my client. He was a black haired man with a "bad guy" appearance wearing a yukata. Looking at him, I would have guessed that he was around 20. He was apparently a foreigner, so I could have been wrong. Appearances could be deceiving after all.

It also didn't help that I sensed a sort of presence from him thanks to my Satan instincts. He had enough skill to mask it, so I knew he wasn't any ordinary person. I just got the slightest hint of his presence.

I smirked. "Nothing much."

I've been summoned by this guy several times already, and I can already say he's pretty cool. He was apparently rich since he owned this humongous mansion he lives in. His jobs also aren't too bad. Sometimes he has me doing simple stuff like buying bread. Other times we just went fishing. Sometimes it's just pleasant conversations (he is very insightful regarding the wonders of a woman's body). One time he actually let me test drive his sports car...To sum it up in a few words: He is the AWESOMEST client EVER!

"Devil-kun, would you play a game with me? I bought a racing game this afternoon and I'm lonely without an opponent."

Yep. He's second only to Kotone who lets me play her Fate/Unlimited Codes game as much as I want.

"Yeah. I know the feeling, man." I grinned. "What are we waiting for? Let's plug that shit in!"

Another awesome thing is that this guy paid handsomely!

He started from a painting that looked high class, and then jewels, and then even gold nuggets. Even Buchou and the others were surprised. Thanks to him, it's no doubt that my value is growing as well!

That's one more step towards becoming High-class, one more step towards Ultimate-class, an another step towards getting a harem!

The funny thing is that even though he's one of my favorite customers, I don't think he had ever told me his name.

"All right, I have set up the game. It's great to have so many items to waste time on in Japan. It isn't a bad place. Here, take the controller."

And so we started playing the video game together, me taking the lead. Racing games weren't my style, but I had never lost a match in a game. NEVER...It also helped that I kept ramming my car against the man's, effectively keeping him out of the lead.

"You are such a cheater!" The man shouted. He didn't sound really angry, just humorously annoyed.

I laughed. "Hahahaha! You know I'm a Devil, bro! We don't play fair!"

"I can see that Shirou Fujimura...No, Satanic Sekiryuutei." I paused. He called me Sekiryuutei (albeit making it sound awesomer by calling me the SATANIC Sekiryuutei). I quickly got over it by considering the fact I was still alive. I then went back to the game, ramming my clients car into an in-game tree.

I grinned, certain I was going to win the race.

I was just about to cross the finish line until I was sent flying by six, black feathered wings. I hit the wall with a loud THUMP, creating a Shirou-sized crater in it. I groaned slightly most from shock then actual pain. When I hit the ground, gravity doing its job, I looked up and was moderately surprised to see that my client possessed a total of twelve black feathered wings.

"HAHA! WIN!" The newly revealed Fallen Angel exclaimed.

I growled, glaring. "OH, YOU CHEATING MOTHERFUCKER! I WANT A REMATCH!"

My Fallen Angel client laughed. "Hahaha! It's nice to meet you, Shirou Fujimura, Satanic Welsh Dragon."

"Screw that! I want a rematch, you cheater!"

The man just seemed amused. "NOTHING to say about the twelve wings or the fact I'm a Fallen Angel?"

I sat on the ground, shrugging. "Well, believe it or not, I kinda don't care really. Judging from your wings, you're probably even more powerful than Kokabiel...Let me guess. Azazel?" It was a fairly easy guess since Azazel was the top boss and twelve black feathered wings seemed like the legit number of wings for a final boss character.

My client snickered. "Kalawarner did say you were a perceptive kid. Good guess. I am Azazel, Governor of the Fallen Angels."

"Ah. I was right. Well, it's nice to meet you. Considering you could've killed over a hundred times over the past week, I'm gonna go out on a limb and assume you're not my enemy are actually a pretty fun guy." Now that that was out of the way, we had a more important issue to get to. "Now I want a rematch, you damn cheater! No wings!"

"Hahaha! We Fallen Angels are quite known for cheating as well!"

I paused at that. "Oh yeah?! Well I can cheat a million times better than you can!"

"We shall see!"

For the next couple hours, Azazel and I ended up racing in the video game, fighting one another with our wings. We kept ramming our cars together, doing whatever it took to get ahead in the race...

We were both dirty cheaters.

Eventually we realized that neither of us would ever truly get ahead in our competition.

It ended in a draw.

"Hahahaha! You're not bad for a geezer!" I laughed.

"And you're not bad for a brat!" Despite the fact we were covered in slight bruises from hitting each other repeatedly with our wings, both Azazel and I ended up laughing it off as nothing.

I finally stopped grinning when I found a question I wanted to ask. "So...I take it you're here for the conference between the leaders?"

Azazel sighed, as if remembering a large amount of work he had to do. "Yes. I have a large mess to clean up thanks to Kokabiel. I managed to convince the other leaders not to immediately try to wage war against the Fallen Angels so that's good, but this really is a pain in the ass."

I nodded. "I figured. Kokabiel was a real douche really. Even if he wasn't responsible for tricking Raynare into killing me, he's just such an unlikeable guy."

Azazel chuckled at that. "Yeah. The only reason we kept him around because the leaders of the Fallen Angels who survived the war were sparse. Either way, his death is no real loss. He never called for anything but war against the other factions."

Then another thought occurred to me. "That reminds me. Raynare and Kalawarner. What happened to them? They didn't get any trouble because of their involvement, did they? I mean they may have acted without orders, but they did help us fight Kokabiel."

Amusement seemed to appear on Azazel's face. "Well, if you're worried about them, why not ask them yourself?" He then did a loud taxi cab whistle and then his expression seemed to say "Wait for it".

Then the ground seemed to shake and for a moment I thought an earthquake was happening.

""SHIROOOOOOOU!"" Two voices screamed out in joy as the shaking increased as I recognized the rumbling sound as the sound of running feet.

The door that led into the large living room burst open to reveal two familiar figures.

One was a busty Onee-sama and the other was a younger yet equally beautiful woman.

Both wore incredibly revealing bathrobes that hugged their bodies.

I felt one of them slam against my side and the other slam against my other side, both women wrapping their arms around me.

"Oh~! I told you we would meet again soon~!" Kalawarner said, hugging my tighter.

"I-It's really good to see you again, Shirou!" Raynare said with a smile.

I stared in shock. "K-Kalawarner?! Raynare?!" I was incredibly shocked to see them there. I figured they would be off on other missions or something, but I was admittedly happy to see them again.

Kalawarner rubbed my chin seductively with her finger, turning my face in her direction.

"Azazel-sama allowed us to accompany him to the peace conference as body guards~ We had some work to take care of back home, so we just got here this morning-" She then leaned in and whispered in my ear. "So now, we-are-all-yours~" I felt my face heat up incredibly at how suggestive that sounded. She also breathed softly into my ear, something that was oddly arousing..

"No fair!" Raynare complained. "I understand that you're team leader, but I want to do that sexy seductive thing too!"

Eh? Team? What's she talking about?

Kalawarner smiled teasingly. "Oh~? Is Ray-chan jealous of the attention I'm giving Shirou?"

"N-No! I just-!"

"Looks like you need a little push to become more daring then~" I was confused as to what Kalawarner meant until she grabbed my hand...and placed it firmly on Raynare's left breast, making me squeeze it just enough to make Raynare let out a little squeak.

My entire face turned red as I felt the incredible softness of Raynare's breast.

"EEEEEEEHHHHH!?" I was too embarrassed to squeeze again or pull away.

Azazel suppressed laughter at something. "Haha! I'm surprised! Even with Satan's blood, I wouldn't have expected you to be so ahead on building your harem so soon!"

I cocked my head in confusion. "Eh?"

"Well, with these two 'rewards', how about we consider my contract paid for?" Azazel asked with a grin.

I choked at that. "H-Hey now! I-I can't accept sexual favors from beautiful women as payment for contracts! Buchou would kill me!" I had no doubt she would. If I wasted such a valuable contract on sex (not that I would EVER use Kalawarner and Raynare like that), Buchou would probably castrate me at the very least.

Azazel clicked his tongue. "Damn. So close."

Kalawarner than gently stroked my cheek. "Then maybe we should take this upstairs and still stick with the 'sexual favors' part."

The sudden surprise caused me to squeeze the softness I held in my hand, causing Raynare to squeak again.

"S-Shirou...uh..." She closed her eyes, moaning slightly. The gesture made me feel so much more aroused.

Gah! I couldn't think about it cos Azazel was still in the room, I was still on a contract, and because I had so many mixed feelings between my love for Buchou, my desire to lose my virginity, and the fact that Mini-Devil Shirou keeps screaming "DO IIIIIIIIIIT!" into my ear.

"Gaha! If Yoko were here, I think she would like you!"

I frowned. "Yoko?" That was a name I wasn't familiar with.

Azazel nodded. "Yeah. Another person I brought as a body guard. She's usually out doing something. You'd be more hardpressed to find a time she was home. She would really like you cos she's pretty into ecchi guys."

I narrowed my eyes, glaring a little at the Fallen Angel Governor. "I'll try not to be insulted by that."

"NO!" Raynare screamed. "Me and Kalawarner are NOT bringing in another person! Three is enough in one session!"

...What? I...just what was going on right now...?

I paused. "...Huh...?"

BOOOOOOM!

The wall beside us suddenly exploded inwards. I stood up and shielded Kalawarner and Raynare from debris while Azazel didn't seem very worried.

I coughed as smoke enveloped the area.

"Azazel-sama! I detected a Devil's presence here! Are you-" The voice paused. I paused as well as this particular voice sounded familiar to me. "Oh, dear God it's you."

The voice sounded very unhappy and I half-closed my eyes, staring dimly at the opening as a new feminine figure was revealed. It was my violet-haired senpai with the lightning bolt-shaped streaks in her hair.

Her hand was crackling with electricity.

I gave her the middle finger. "Well good to see you again, mystery chick who I am sure I don't like."

The girl's eye twitched and I could've sworn electricity was starting to crackle through her hair as well.

"Who gives a fuck what you think, you worthless Devil...?"

"Oi, Yoko. Good to see you. I hope you don't fry this guy. That would only cause more trouble for me with the other two factions if I had to explain why the Satan descendant and servant or Rias Gremory ended up dead in my house."

Eh...Yoko? This girl's Yoko!? She doesn't seem like the type who would be into perverts.

Yoko shot me a dirty look, like she found me to be a lower existence than a cockroach. Like she could kill me with a single blow...

I take it back...something about her suddenly seemed hotter.

Yoko reluctantly lowered her hand. "Very well, Azazel-sama. My apologies." She bowed towards Azazel respectfully. She turned towards me and glared with an expression full of distrust.

Yeah...so much for liking me. I couldn't stand how uncomfortable the atmosphere was.

It didn't help that electricity crackled threateningly in her hands, as if she was ready to vaporize me at any moment...

"Ahahahahaha..." I laughed awkwardly. "Yeah, I think I should...just go I guess."

"Awwwwwww!" Kalawarner and Raynare whined.

Auuuuuuu! When they did something like that, I felt so sad and reluctant to leave! I was only more reluctant because I still did not know whether or not they were serious about the sex! GAAAAH! I might have just lost out on a chance to lose my virginity! DAAAAAAMN IIIIIIIT!

"The seductive power of Satan, I presume..." Yoko noted. "That or these girls have no standards..."

Both Raynare and Kalawarner shot glares at her filled with killing intent.

"Oi! What did you say, bitch!?"

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

Yoko then jabbed her thumb at me. "Well you must have some sort of issues if THIS is the kind of guy you're chasing after."

I vein popped out on my forehead. "What do you mean by 'this kind of guy', you dog?"

Yoko's eye twitched. "Who are you calling a dog, Satan brat?!" Electricity began to travel up her arms and crackling across her hair.

"Who are you calling Satan brat, you dog?!" I summoned Blade Genesis and generated a spear. "You wanna fight?! Let's go!"

Yoko grinned maliciously. "Bring it on!"

"H-Hey now-!" Azazel seemed unhappy at the thought of us starting a fight in the middle of his house.

I held out my open palm in front of me, generating a normal flame using my demonic energy.

"BURN!" I launched the flame at Yoko, using Reinforcements to increase its power and its size.

The violet-haired senpai easily leaped out of the way and compressed a buch of electricity in her left hand before shooting me another glare. "How about I show you just a taste of my power, Satan brat?!" She then pulled her arms back in a stance I recognized. She had her hands cupped together and pulled them back, the sphere in her hands glowing as-

HOLY SHIT! She's doing a Kamehameha! I know what comes next!

She pushed her hands forward and-

GOOOOOOOOOOOOON! Shock! Shock! Shock!

-an incredibly large beam of energy cloaked in electrical power shot out from the originally small ball.

My eyes widened. "Shit!" I quickly spread my wings to give myself a quick burst of movement, just enough to get out of the way of the horribly destructive attack. I found myself staring in shock as the attack shot past me and broke through the wall behind me, creating an incredibly large hole as the shot kept moving until his burst all the way outside and hit what I suspected to be a barrier of some sort...

It was either that or someone's house got totally leveled. It would suck to be the poor bastard who owned that place...Hell. It sucked to be the poor bastard who owned THIS place.

"Haha!" Yoko laughed cockily. "You've seen a display of my power, Sekiryuutei. Are you ready to give up?"

I stared silently at Yoko. Then I looked back to the giant hole that her attack created. Then back to Yoko. Then back to the hole. Then Yoko. Then the hole. Then Yoko. Then a grin broke out on my face.

I slammed my fist into the ground, letting my hunger for battle show on my face.

"Actually...I'M GETTIN' FIRED UP!" I spread all eight of my wings as I summoned a giant claymore that I wielded with one hand while summoning up another, one-handed sword into my other hand. Due to the training I've gone through and with Reinforcements, I've become able to wield heavier swords much more easily. I channeled demonic power into my swords, something I've gotten much more capable at ever since my fight with Kokabiel.

"Demon's Razor!" I swung both swords, unleashing two separate crescent-shaped energy slashes. I really don't know why I named it...just felt like it.

There was a loud clap of thunder as Yoko unleashed a large streak of lightning that met my own attacks.

"Hey hey! Take the fighting outside!" Azazel demanded. He was only easy-going as long as you weren't trashing his place as it turns out.

BOOOOOM!

GOOOOOOOON!

CRASH!

The fight between Yoko and I continued for a good several hours, resulting in massive destruction to the Fallen Angel Governor's household.

"HEY! CUT IT OUT!"

"Ha ha ha ha." Raynare laughed tiredly and in an exaggerated manner. "These two...the most destructive and short-tempered possibly out of everyone from all three factions...Perhaps getting them together was not a good idea..."

Kalawarner placed a hand on the side of her face. She sighed wistfully.

"...It can't be helped that this was the kind of person we liked..." Kalawarner sounded regretful and tired.

Erm...Sorry for being a battle-maniac sometimes, I guess...

The thing that pissed me off more than anything else...well, other than the fact Azazel wouldn't pay for the contract, calling us even for me pretty much trashing his mansion...Yoko held back the entire time. It pissed me off knowing, that if she went all-out, she might have actually been able to defeat me...

* * *

**Later...**

**[Occult Research Clubroom]**

"This isn't a joke!" Buchou shouted angrily.

Yeah...when you come back from the mansion of the Fallen Angel Governor, never-and I mean NEVER-laugh it off and say it's not big deal. ESPECIALLY when you're covered in cuts, bruises, various burns, and with your clothes tattered...

Suffice to say, she will not be happy.

I found myself staring at that beautiful face of hers.

Ah. Even when angry, my beloved master is so incredibly beautiful. Really, I think the passion of her anger makes her seem even more beautiful.

"Indeed, even though it was decided that the meeting of the leaders of the Devils, Angels, and Fallen Angels would be held in this town, to think that suddenly the Governor of the Fallen Angels would intrude in my territory and interfere with our business...!" Buchou then clenched her fists. "And to top it off, to try and lay a hand on my cute Shirou, the price is death! I had heard that Azazel was extremely interested in the Sacred Gears. It's definitely because my Shirou possesses the Blade Genesis that he came in contact with us… I never thought he would actually attack you though..."

I raised my hand, chuckling awkwardly. "Hehehehe. Well, actually, it was one of his bodyguards... I...kind of picked a fight with her...That's why I didn't get a price for the contract...I'm not sure, but I think I lost that fight...I shamed you as your servant, Buchou. Sorry." I bowed my head, feeling genuinely ashamed.

Buchou's serious expression remained for several moments before softening. She patted me gently on the head, making me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

"All that matters is that you're okay. If either of them try to lay a hand on you again, regardless of the circumstance, I will stop them. I will definitely protect you." Buchou promised.

I blushed from embarrassment, turning away. "B-Baka. I don't need protection. I-I'm really tough and strong and stuff. I-It's not like I'm grateful or anything."

"You are my adorable tsundere." Buchou said, smiling while she continued patting my head. I blinked, my face flushing as I realized what she said.

"Hey! I am NOT tsundere! Not even occasionally!" But I admit it was nice to be pet by Buchou...Even if she would never accept the feelings of someone like me, just being able to have these feelings was nice...Wouldn't be the first time I was a beast before an unobtainable goddess...

I quickly interrupted everyone else's attempts to jump on the 'everyone-calling-Shirou-a-tsundere-even though-he-isn't' bandwagon.

"So Azazel's interested in my Sacred Gear, huh...?" I crossed my arms, thinking. "Well, it's natural for certain people to be interested in it considering the fact I somehow evolved it using my will...but I wonder what he's planning..." Azazel was the leader of the Fallen Angels. A "final boss character"kind of guy. There was no telling what he had in store. I didn't naturally distrust Azazel because he was a Fallen Angel. I naturally distrusted him because guys with power should be looked at with suspicion.

Yuuto was the one who spoke next. "I heard from someone that Azazel has deep knowledge about the Sacred Gears. I also heard that he's gathering capable Sacred Gear holders. But it's going to be all right..." Yuuto stared at me as if he was going to lose me. "I will protect you."

I was admittedly shocked by the sudden declaration, but I found myself smiling.

"Alright. I'll be depending on you then, Yuuto. You gotta watch my back while I'm busy kicking ass."

But something about the way he spoke sounded weird...

I noticed a light pink appear on Yuuto's face. "There's no problem. My Sacred Gear that attained Balance Breaker and Shirou-kun's Blade Genesis, if we combine these two, then I feel we can surpass even a dangerous crises. …Fufu, I wasn't the type to say such things before. After hanging out with you, my readiness for comrades also changed as well...But I don't know why I don't dislike that… It's hot around my chest region."

Eh...?

Then Sakura suddenly appeared in front of Yuuto, her leaning forward, grabbing Yuuto by his collar and staring intently into his eyes.

_"___Stay away from my master ____with your otherworldly corruption.___" _She was radiating dark killing intent._ "___He does not belong to you. No using your male charm to try and turn him.___"_

Yuuto chuckled warmheartedly. "All's fair in love and war, Sakura-san." I couldn't help but notice a slight edge in his voice that confused me. Sakura's eyes widened before narrowing, shooting Yuuto an even sharper look than before. She swiped at Yuuto once with a partially transformed hand, but he easily leaned back to avoid it.

Seriously though. What was with that 'chest region' stuff? I kind of missed that.

Yuuto really has been acting weird lately.

Buchou shot Yuuto a curious look. "And what exactly are you-" Buchou paused before shaking her head. "No. I'll save that question for later. For now, I would like to know how he got here with us knowing. Even if you used your connections with Kalawarner and Raynare to contact him, he'll just move on to something else."

Yeah. Azazel does seem like a spontaneous guy...

"Azazel has always been like that, Rias." said a new voice that didn't belong to any of us. I turned to see an oddly familiar young man with crimson hair. Well...he was unfamiliar yet unfamiliar at the same time.

**(Hoho! Good to see that Gremory brat again! You should show some respect to this guy, kid!)**

I tensed. That voice that seemed to come from within my soul sent a chill down my spine. I...I knew this voice somehow...like it was echoing from a place where it rested in the depths of my soul.

I instinctively knelt on the ground faster than anyone else. Akeno-san and the others were kneeling in their places, Asia appeared to be having trouble coping with the situation. The newcomer, Xenovia, also had a confused expression. I noticed Sakura kneeling by my side as well.

"O-O-O-Onii-sama!" Buchou said in a surprised voice.

My eyes widened with realization. Last I recalled, Buchou's Onii-sama was Sirzechs Gremory, the man who became known as Sirzechs Lucifer! Holy shit!

OhmyMaouIcan'tbelieveI'mmeetingthesuperawesomeMaou-samaaaaa!

I quickly shot up and grasped Lucifer-sama's hand, shaking excitedly. "So cooooool! I can't believe I'm meeting one of the amazing Maou-samas so soon! I fully expected to have to wait until I became an Ultimate-Class Devil! It's such an honor to meet you, sir! I-"

BAM!

Buchou slammed her fist down on my head, causing a big bump to appear before she started dragging me away from Lucifer-sama and forcing me back to a kneeling position. Asia quickly knelt as well, catching up to the rest of us.

Gah! That really hurt, Buchou!

But I suppose I really should've been more respectful. I couldn't help it! I know I went a little fangirl right there, but Lucifer-sama was one of my goals. One of the many people I wanted to fight and surpass someday.

Buchou uttered some quick words, asking Lucifer-sama for forgiveness regarding my outburst.

Lucifer-sama gave a good-natured laugh. "It's no trouble, Rias. He somewhat reminds me of his great-grandfather. They both possess a large amount of energy."

There was a large tensity that passed through the air.

Shit! Does he know about my Satan blood?!

Even Buchou was worried. We didn't talk much about it, but there was the reality that, before now, nobody had any knowledge that the Satan bloodline still existed in the world. For the current Maous who ruled the Underworld, there was no telling what actions they would take.

For all we knew, the descendants of Satan could be seen as a threat to their power and eliminated.

Worst-case scenario, all three faction leaders would agree to terminate me...

That was the horrible possibility that remained on my mind. Maybe I could run, but if the Maous themselves were to get involved, it would be as easy for them to eliminate me as breathing.

So, as unbelievably frustrating as it was, we left the subject alone and hoped for the best.

But now the issue was brought up unintentionally by Lucifer-sama.

What will he do now...?

"Please relax, I came for private business today. I am not here for anything related to your Satan blood, Fujimura-san." Lucifer-sama urged me to remain calm. It was then that I realized there was no killing intent coming from him. If he had wanted to kill me, I realized, he probably could've done it twenty times over by now. I noted a silver-haired maid standing behind him. Grayfia-san. Of course she would be accompanying the Maou-sama since she is his Queen after all.

Sensing the tensity in the air fade away, we all finally raised our heads.

"Azazel won't do anything like Kokabiel did a few days ago. He may do a prank like last time, though. The Governor will come earlier than the planned date." Lucifer-sama said. He then took notice of the Occult Research Clubroom that we stood in. "Hey, my little sister. This room seems like a murder scenery. I wonder how it is possible for this place to be full of magic circles even though young girls gather here."

Did...did he just completely forget about what he just said? It was shocking how nonchalant he was!

"Onii-sama, w-why are you here?" Buchou asked as she was handed an unfilled printed form by her Onii-sama.

"What are you saying? Classroom visits are coming soon, right? I am also thinking to participate. By all means I want to see my little sister working hard in studies from up close."

Ah, now that you mention it, the school's visit was really close...Well I didn't really think much of it. I mean, Mako-nee didn't seem like the type who would be interested in such a thing. And she's my only living relative (excluding my bastard father apparently who I never want to see unless I'm able to kick his ass), so there's no one else who would come to see me.

Then again, I suppose it would be a little embarrassing for my Onee-sama to be watching me during class.

"Grayfia, right? You're the one who told Onii-sama?" Buchou asked, turning to Grayfia-san.

Grayfia-san nodded. "Yes, the reports from the school come to me who has been entrusted with the schedule of the Gremory household. Of course I am Lucifer-sama's Queen as well, thus I reported it to my master."

Buchou sighed. Huh. I guess I wasn't the only one who thought that family members visiting at school was troubling.

"Even if my Maou duties are hard, even if I have to take a day off from my work, I wanted to participate in my little sister's class visit. Don't worry. Otou-ue will come over as well"

So Buchou's Otou-san's coming as well...I couldn't help but wonder what he thought of my performance in the Rating Game against Riser. Yeah. I was still going to have to work hard if I wanted to gain the approval of Buchou's parents! Yes! Even though my heart is still uncertain after Irina's reappearance, I still love Buchou and am still trying to become worthy of her! Even if it takes thousands of years, I will do whatever it takes to become worthy!

"T-That's not true! Isn't Onii-sama the Maou? To leave your job and come here! The Maou can't treat a single Devil in a special way!"

That's a fair thought. Even if he is Buchou's Onii-sama, it would still feel to Buchou like she is receiving an honor from a Maou.

Lucifer-sama kept smiling. "No no, this is my work as well, Rias. Actually I thought about conducting the conference between the 3 factions in this school. I came to inspect the meeting place."

I stared, shocked. That meant all three factions' big boss guys are coming to THIS TOWN to meet!

THAT'S SO AWESOOOOOME! ALL OF THE TOP GUYS WERE COMING TO MY TOWN!

Buchou seemed surprised as well. "…Here? Really?"

"Ah, This school somehow seems to have fate tied to it. My little sister, you, the legendary Sekiryuutei who holds a special bloodline, the Holy Devil Sword user, the Holy Sword Durandal's wielder and Maou Serafall Leviathan's little sister are attached to this place. Kokabiel and Hakuryuukou attacked this place. This is a phenomenon you can't label as coincidence. Strong powers keep mixing in, it's like wave motion. I think the person accelerating this wave motion is Fujimura Shirou-kun-the Satanic Sekiryuutei." Lucifer-sama paid me a glance, but still held no hostile intent.

I paused, closing my eyes. Why does everyone keep calling me that...? 'Satanic Sekiryuutei'?

I mean...I figured it would take much longer for everyone to figure out about my Satan blood, but apparently unlocking my powers sent out some kind of huge beacon to everyone. Those Old Maou guys, Azazel, and even Lucifer-sama. I doubt it's only them who know too. After all, that Angel girl also seemed to be aware of my Satan blood, so I had no doubt that Michael and the Seraphs knew as well.

"Are you the Maou?" Xenovia asked. "Nice to meet you, I am the one called Xenovia."

Ah. Xenovia introduced herself formally. Sounded fair since she was the most recent addition to our group and Lucifer-sama may not know as much about her as the rest of us who have been in Buchou's Peerage for a longer time.

Honestly, she's been a lot more pleasant since she joined our team. I was more-or-less neutral with her, but I think I can at least call her a friend by this point...I think. Another plus was that, like Akeno-san, Asia, and Buchou, she was a beauty. And she was strong. My type of woman. Of course, I would never say that to her face EVER. Besides, she's in Buchou's Peerage so I'm uncertain whether or not I could try and obtain her for my future harem (not sure whether or not it would be disrespectful to try). And I'm also trying to win Buchou's heart, so I don't think it'll work out.

Lucifer-sama turned to Xenovia. "Good day to you, Xenovia. I am Sirzechs Lucifer. I got the report from Rias. The Holy Sword wielder of Durandal got reincarnated as a Devil, and not to mention becoming my sister's family… Truth be told, I was doubting my ears when I heard it the first time."

It would be rather surprising for the wielder of one of the most powerful Holy Swords in existence to become a Devil. Even if it was true, it would sound like a lie.

"I also didn't think that I would become a Devil. To be reincarnated into the side I kept on killing, even if I say so myself, I sometimes regret it and that it was quite a bold move. …Yeah, that's it. Why did I become a Devil? Desperation? However, at that time, truthfully, anything was fine… But, was it really fine to be a Devil?"

Poor girl...

I paused for a moment. Then I awkwardly patted Xenovia on the head, causing her to turn to me in surprise.

"My guess? Your world came crashing down around you because of what Kokabiel said. You didn't want to be alone and you wanted something to hold on to. A reason to continue. A "raison d'etre" as they say." I found myself grinning. "And you found your most unlikely friends, us. Even if we were formerly enemies, we're friends now and you can count on us to always stand by you."

Xenovia paused before smiling. "Thank you, Shirou-sama."

I still felt a twinge of discomfort at that. It was fine for Sakura to say it since she was my familiar. I hoenstly didn't care if my fangirls said it. But it just felt strange somehow to see Xenovia say it.

Lucifer-sama laughed. "Hahaha, it's great that my little sister's family has a lot of interesting people! Xenovia, since you were just reincarnated you won't understand your own way but I want you to support the Gremory household as Rias' family. I'll be counting on you."

"If I am asked by the Legendary Maou written in the Bible to do it, then I'll have no choice but to do it. I don't know how much I'll be able to do but allow me to do whatever I can in my capability." I appreciated how much pride Xenovia showed in her words. I found myself having faith in her. Like Yuuto, she really seemed like a good Knight Piece.

After hearing Xenovia's words, Maou-sama smiled. Like Buchou's, his smile was kind and warm.

"Thanks." After hearing Lucifer-sama's thanks, Xenovia's cheeks turned red.

Somehow, that gesture made her seem so much cuter...strong, occasionally scary, and can be cute when she wants to be...

She is definitely an interesting girl.

"Now then, let's continue the difficult conversation somewhere else. Hm, however, even though I came to the human world, it's night time. Would a lodging institution be open right now?" Lucifer-sama asked.

"Oh! Lucifer-sama!" I jumped when I saw Sakura bravely raising her hand, showing no fear whatsoever. "If it's a matter of housing, then Master's home has much space for you to stay with us."

I did a dry spit-take.

The Maou-sama smiled gratefully. "That's fine with me. I did want to meet your guardian, Fujimura Makoto."

I crossed my arms into an X-shape, shaking my head rapidly. "N-n-no no no no! That cannot be allowed!"

Everyone stared at me while Lucifer-sama's smile became one of confusion. "Hm? Is it a matter of inconvenience?"

I shook my head quickly again. "No. I'm trying to save your pride and manhood." I explained. "Mako-nee can be an incredibly rough person. If you handle her the wrong way in a conversation, she will emasculate you in more ways then one. If you piss her off enough, she will LITERALLY try to castrate you!" My eyes were then filled with horror. "I've seen it, man! We've been dragged into a police station on more than one occasion! Luckily all of the guys involved were too terrified to press charges."

I shivered as many events that took place while Mako-nee was angry came back to me.

She was terrifying enough BEFORE I knew she was also a descendant of Satan like me...

"I mean it, Maou-sama. I say it for your own good: Unless you've been in such an environment before, you will never feel like a real man again."

There was a moment of silence before Sirzech-sama's smile seemed slightly sadder before he whispered to me:

"To be honest...I kind of know that feeling with Grayfia-"

"What is it you are whispering to Fujimura-san?" Grayfia-san inquired in an almost TOO expressionless way...I think she heard him because the air became slightly chillier.

Lucifer-sama stiffened and stood up straight. "Nothing." He said quickly. "I said nothing."

...it appears Lucifer-sama and I share a certain thing in common: We are both whipped by women who could be very scary when they wanted to be.

* * *

**[Fujimura Residence]**

It was with great reluctance that I finally gave in and decided to allow the Maou-sama to come to my house.

Mako-nee seemed to be expecting us...well...sort-of.

She tapping her foot impatiently like she did whenever she was angry.

I could tell I was in the dog house. She narrowed her eyes when Lucifer-sama and Grayfia-san entered the room before turning back to me.

Mako-nee then turned back to me, walking calmly towards me.

To the normal person, there would be nothing particularly fearsome about that. But for me who was a Devil...

I could SEE the massive amount of demonic aura radiating from Mako-nee's body as she approached me. Not demonic aura as in killing intent. I mean demonic aura as in her power as a Devil. She was releasing her Devil power in such a place...

She. Was. PISSED.

Mako-nee walked up to me and placed a hand on my shoulder, smiling.

"Shirou..." Then a fist slammed into my gut, knocking the wind out of me as I hunched over, clutching my gut. Then Mako-nee brought her elbow down on my head, knocking me flat against the ground. "YOU IDIOT! WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?!"

Buchou's jaw dropped as I hit the ground as she stared in surprise.

I think Lucifer-sama actually sweatdropped for just a second.

For a moment, I thought I was going to get a royal beatdown from Mako-nee. Some sort of horrible punishment for whatever thing I don't know I did...

When I finally worked up the strength to get to all fours, I was greeted by the most disturbing and unnatural sight I would ever see in my lifetime.

It was Mako-nee. She was on one knee before Lucifer-sama...KNEELING! My Onee-sama who possessed an indomitable spirit was KNEELING before someone else.

Not only that, but there was also a strange expression on her face.

She kept her head bowed as she kneeled in front of the Maou-sama, but I could still see her face.

She was sweating tremendously and she was trembling. Her eyes were widened in what could've been either anxiety or fear.

Then I noticed Lucifer-sama. His expression, just for a moment, was serious.

Did...Did Onee-sama and Lucifer-sama know each other?

I looked at Buchou who seemed just as confused as I was. Just how did our older siblings know each other?

"I-It...It is an honor to have you in my home, Lucifer-sama." Mako-nee said respectufully, trying to keep her voice level.

Lucifer-sama seemed to examine Mako-nee for just a moment until a look of recognition came on his face. Then he smiled.

"Ah. You look so much different with white hair. But to think you were actually a descendant of Satan..." So they HAVE met before. Lucifer-sama then waved his hand dismissively. "There's no need to worry. I bear no ill will against you or your brother."

Mako-nee actually seemed to relax at that, standing up. I could tell why. Even though I didn't know what was going on, I, too, was put at an odd ease by the Maou-sama's words.

I looked at Onee-sama and then the Maou-sama.

I raised my hand, uncertain whether or not I had the right to speak amongst the awkward silence that followed.

"Erm...Do you two know each other...?" I felt stupid asking that question.

OF COURSE they knew each other! Baka-Shirou!

Lucifer-sama smiled, amused about what I assumed to be a memory. "Yes. We met a long time ago when-"

"HYAAH!"

I then felt a powerful elbow jab into my gut (courtesy of Makoto), causing me to fall to my knees, coughing.

"You...jerk..." I said in choked breaths.

A vein popped out on Mako-nee's forehead and there was a light pink on her face.

"It's none of your business, Baka-otouto..." Mako-nee puffed up her cheeks in a way I admit was kind of adorable. Apparently, however she had first encountered the Maou-sama was embarrassing...

Now I REALLY wanted to know how they met!

I turned to Lucifer-sama, looking at him expectantly. "Can you sum it up before Mako-nee can kill me to hide the truth?"

Apparently Lucifer-sama has a good sense of humor because he chuckled a little.

"Well, if you wish for me to sum it up: I was out completing some...erm...something work-related I had to do," I noticed Lucifer-sama jump as if he had almost let out the fact he was probably slacking off just a bit. Hey. Even a Maou needs a break. I could respect that. "I was walking when, out of nowhere, this strange girl with red eyes appears and attacks, shouting something like [For the future of Devils!] or maybe it was [I strike you down in the name of Devil justice!]. She was young and inexperienced, so I had no trouble dodging her clumsy strikes. A single tap to her noggin was all it took to knock her down."

I turned to Mako-nee who was holding her head down, her face turning a deep shade of red due to embarrassment.

Ooooooh this is too good~!

Lucifer-sama then continued. "The girl, crying from the small injury I gave her, said more things like [I will surpass you and God Himself!] and [Don't think you've won the war just because you won this one fight!]. This is the most amusing part concerning the girl. When she ran away, wiping her eyes, her skirt gets caught on a nearby bush as she tried escaping through the brush and she failed to notice it until her skirt was torn away from her, causing her to have no choice but to flee while only possessing her shirt and panties." Lucifer-sama laughed in genuine amusement as he no doubt imagined a certain energetic child running away in embarrassment.

I slammed a fist into my palm, looking at Mako-nee. "Ah! So THAT'S why you never wear normal skirts anymore!" Then I started laughing like crazy. Mako-nee was very strict about never wearing skirts, always jumping or face-faulting whenever I brought it up...

HAHAHAHAHA! I couldn't believe it! My usually serious Onee-sama having actually attacked a Maou-sama only to be beaten and flee in only her panties! That thought totally ruined my whole mental image of her in the most hilarious of ways!

I hunched over, clutching my sides which started to hurt from my endless laughter taking its toll.

PINCH! PINCH!

Both Lucifer-sama and I stopped laughing as a familiar person stepped between us, pinching both of our faces with amazing strength.

First Grayfia-san stared angrily yet quietly at Lucifer-sama.

"You should act more respectful towards the ones who are offering to house you during your stay before the meeting." Then she turned to me. "Attacking a Maou is not something I would consider a laughing matter, especially as he is my master. Even if your sister has been forgiven, it still is not something that can be laughed about." I begged to differ...but I kept me mouth shut.

"It huwts, It huwts, Grayfia."

"Ow ow! What'd I do?! What'd I do?!"

And that was how I gained a healthy fear of Grayfia-san when she's angry.

Mako-nee finally recovered because she gained a more calm expression. She seemed much more at ease with Lucifer-sama's presence then she had been before. No doubt because she saw how whipped he was by his Queen...

"...Very well then. If it's only until after the meeting between the three factions' leaders, then I suppose it would be no problem to have you stay here." She bowed respectfully. "It would be an honor to have you, Lucifer-sama."

Then Mako-nee grinned mischievously, throwing a fist into the air. "Since I have guests, that means I can finally bring out the good sake! Care to partake?" She pointed at Lucifer-sama. "You have not tasted good alcohol until you've tasted traditional Japanese sake!"

Lucifer-sama let out a small smile at that. "That is excellent! Let's drink it by all means! Since Japanese alcohol goes down well with a capable mouth!"

* * *

**Later...**

"No-No way… I can't sleep together with Shirou?" Buchou asked with a strict face.

It was a discussion that began after Mako-nee got too drunk to even stand up sit up straight. Grayfia-san was nice enough to help Mako-nee to her room to sleep it off...Thank goodness Lucifer-sama was wise enough to have us cut Mako-nee off at the thirteenth glass of sake. Trust me, Mako-nee could be a HUUUUUUUGE drunk. She also doesn't know her limit. That combination makes a perfect stage for either disastrous or hilarious consequences.

"I wanted to talk with him a bit while being on the bed. Sorry, Rias, but just for tonight lend me Fujimura Shirou-kun."

GAK! Sleep away from Buchou and Asia?! GAAAH! Why don't you just stab me in the heart, Lucifer-sama!?

I actually felt slightly embarrassed that I'd gotten so attached to sleeping in-between my master and my adorable blonde-haired friend. Even if I ended up staying up for a long time in the night due to erotic thoughts, I had already gotten too used to it.

It might have to do with that thing Akeno-san said...Buchou's dependence on me was growing greater with each day as well...

...Maybe if it grows enough, I'll be able to confess without being rejected harshly. Still rejected, but not as badly...

Buchou said that she has an illness, that if she doesn't sleep with me she'll die. Asia says if she doesn't have me by her side like usual she gets sad and hates it. Sakura is Sakura...that's all I have to say. Lately, ever since I awakened, Sakura has been getting more and more clingy...maybe it's my fate to be nothing than a huggabe plush toy...

Such a thought was depressing...

[For someone who shows so much spirit and energy towards fighting, you seem to have an immensely difficult time with girls. You sleep with three bishoujo every night. You should've taken the initiative when you had the chance.]

S-Shut up, stupid Welsh Dragon! No one asked for your opinion! Besides, battles to the death and asking a girl to make-out or have sex are two completely different things!...Besides...

How would she ever-

"Shirou..." Buchou said as she hugged me, embarrassed as Lucifer-sama and Grayfia-san watched.

I felt myself blushing deeply.

You want some initiative, shitty Dragon?! How about this?!

Trembling, I wrapped my arms around Buchou, returning her hug nervously.

Buchou seemed to tense, being surprised, but I could see her smile, pressing closer to my body.

[...I'll admit. It's a start. Still a longshot from losing your virginity though.]

...SHUT UP!

"Can you sleep alone? Are you alright with me not being beside you?" Buchou asked.

"O-Of course not...Every m-moment without your warm embrace leaves an aching pain in my c-chest..."

I felt my face heat up even further as I gathered my courage to say the somewhat unoriginal love line...

My response seemed to surprise Buchou, but even happier at the same time. "I am not a-alright either. J-Just by you not being beside me…"

I was surprised by Buchou's slight stutter. I looked down at her face and saw a still mildly surprised expression and a blush on her face.

Apparently that line I said had caught her off guard. Whenever we were together, she always seemed to be the one to take initiative in...whatever it is between us...

I almost said 'relationship', but then I realized I would simply be deluding myself if I thought that way.

"Ojou-sama, now let's return back to our room. I will be there in your room as well." Grayfia-san said. "Well then, Lucifer-sama, good night." Grayfia-san then took Buchou away, Buchou saying something else.

"I know, Grayfia..." Buchou sounded as if she was regretting it...

So was I.

I wasn't lying about what I said before. My love for Buchou had gotten to the point that I think it physically hurt to be apart from her. It hurt when Irina left, but I prepared for that and I knew that our separation would probably be permanent that time...but when it came to separating from Buchou, it was like tearing my heart out of my chest only to place it back in and then rip it out again each and every time we were separated.

"Ah, Um, Shirou-san, good night. I also think it's unfortunate but tonight I'll sleep in my room." Slightly bowing her head, Asia headed off towards her room while keeping her smile on.

I turned to Sakura who had a mischievous smirk on her face. "Kufufufufu..." She chuckled darkly. "Now that my two biggest competitors are gone..."

"No! If I can't sleep with, Shirou, neither can you!" Buchou suddenly reappeared and grabbed Sakura by the collar, dragging Sakura with her.

Sakura started struggling against Buchou's grasp, reaching her arms towards me for help.

I sighed, smiling tiredly. "Sorry, Sakura. Just for tonight, could you sleep in Buchou's room?"

Sakura stared at me, blushing shyly. "Yes, Master." She stood up and bowed to me. "G'night, Master." She then wordlessly followed after Buchou and Grayfia-sama.

And then it was just me and the Maou-sama.

It got kind of awkward when I realized I was just standing there, staring at possibly the strongest person in the Underworld in awe. He had an elegant posture and a quiet yet powerful aura surrounding him. If he wanted to, Lucifer-sama could probably crush me with his pinky finger.

"Now, shall we enter inside?"

I snapped back to attention, nodding. "Right."

I led Maou-sama into my room. It wasn't the neatest room, but it wasn't necessarily messy. A video game case or two on the floor and my overflowing laundry basket in the corner (speaking of which, I should take that down soon), but nothing too bad that would make it unsanitary.

I did my best to clean what there was quickly as to not disturb Lucifer-sama. He didn't seem to mind really.

He's cool, elegant, powerful, and a pleasant houseguest. What more could you ask from the man who bears the name of Lucifer-sama?

I sat on my bed, staring intently as Lucifer-sama prepared himself for bed.

"I heard you met Azazel." He said suddenly out of the blue. I almost jumped at the sudden topic.

I nodded. "Yeah, but he wasn't too bad of a guy. A damned cheater (yet not as skilled as I), but a good guy I guess."

"I hear he did nothing to you but did he say something to you?" Lucifer-sama asked.

I closed my eyes, thinking. "Erm...Yeah. He said "Next time I summon you, please don't destroy my house in a fight with Yoko. It's a real pain in the ass to clean up the mess.", I think."

Lucifer-sama chuckled once. "I see. Anything else?"

I started thinking again. "...I think he said something about seeing me next time..."

"I see. …... Azazel has a strong interest in the Sacred Gears. Your Boosted Gear is no exception. Especially since it was evolved as a result of your power, perhaps being more of a sub-species...Actually, same as you, a person possessing the Longinus has gathered alongside him."

I narrowed my eyes. "...Hakuryuukou..." Lucifer-sama nodded in response. "But why?"

"I don't know that. But Azazel is the Governor of an organization with the power to affect Heaven, Underworld and the human world. If he uses that, it will span a lot of digression. However, he doesn't like war like Kokabiel does. It's because of that that the Fallen Angels were the first to withdraw from the great war of the past."

"Don't worry. I guarantee your safety. Finally the legendary dragon came to the Devil side so I'll have them give you a good treatment." Lucifer-sama assured me. "Not only that, but you will gain much favor since you are descended from Satan-sensei."

I shook my head, feeling embarrassed. "You don't have to-" Then I remembered something.

I promised Mako-nee I wouldn't discuss it until the meeting, but...

"Lucifer-sama, can I ask a question?"

Lucifer-sama nodded. "Of course."

"What do you know about the Old Maou Faction?"

The air went cold so fast that I was certain I had offended Lucifer-sama somehow.

He stared at me with a serious expression. "Ah yes. Azazel was kind enough to inform me of the confrontation his subordinate witnessed. You came into contact with them?"

I nodded. "Y-Yes, sir." I couldn't help but feel nervous, thinking perhaps I should've kept it to myself. "They said they wanted to recruit me to their cause, hoping to bring forth the support of those who are still loyal to Satan if not the other Old Maous. I said no, of course. Despite that, they tried to take me by force. Probably would have if it wasn't for those girls from the Heaven and Fallen Angel sides."

I shivered at the thought of what would've happened. I remembered how Shalba Beelzebub mentioned other methods to turn me into their figurehead. I looked at Lucifer-sama and asked my question.

"Just what is the deal with those guys?"

Lucifer-sama sighed. "The Old Maou dislike the current government, believing that they, possessing the blood of the original Maou, are entitled to rule the Underworld. It was that belief that threw the Underworld into a state of civil war while we were still at war with the Heavens side during the great war. The current Maou are the strongest of those of us who opposed them and possessed the strength to lead the Underworld after making peace with Heaven after the Old Maou Faction was defeated."

"So they think that just because they're related to the Old Maou that they should rule the Underworld?"

Lucifer-sama nodded. "Yes."

There was a long pause before I spoke.

"That's stupid. They're stupid." I crossed my arms, shaking my head. "People should gain positions of power based on merit, not some stupid bloodline. Even today, a lot of people think they're so superior to others because of their blood, like how a fair number of Pure-blood Devils are absolute A-holes who think-" I then remembered who I was talking to. I paused, my mouth wide open. "Errrrr, well except for Buchou, Sona-kaichou, and you and the other Maou! You guys are great! I can't really speak about other Pure-bloods, but I'm sure there are the good mixed in with the bad!"

Lucifer-sama chuckled lightheartedly. "I can't blame that observation. Even I admit that there are still a few problems involving the remaining clans' attempts to preserve their pure-blood status. I'm actually grateful to you for breaking up the engagement between my sister and Riser because..." The Maou paused, looking left and right as if to make sure SOMEONE (probably Grayfia) could not here him before whispering, "...between you and me, I think Riser is kind of a douche."

The seriousness that remained in that situation completely vanished without that one comment.

I broke down into laughter. "HAHAHAHAHAHA!" I just found it so hilarious that even a Maou-sama agreed that Yakitori-kun was a douche! "You got that right!" I then calmed myself and gained a serious expression again. "I'm really just glad that I won...if I lost Buchou..." I shook my head. "I'm willing to do whatever it takes to protect her from pain and suffering. Even if I have to take on every last Old Maou descendant by myself!"

I lowered my head, staring at the edge of my bed. "That's why I have no intention of being captured by the Old Maou Faction. I would rather die than let myself be used as a tool by them to hurt the ones I love...I'll protect everyone with everything I got!"

"I do hope you will do your best to be careful though." Lucifer-sama said with a smile. "My little sister treats you dearly after all. I've never seen Rias have so much fun, even in the Underworld. She would become incredibly saddened if someting were to happen to you. I also hope you will take care of her from now on as well, Fujimura Shirou-kun."

"I'll do myself to do that, sir!" I replied with a grin. No matter what, even if she falls in love with another man, I'll do whatever it takes to protect Buchou's happiness. Not just hers, but Yuuto's, Akeno-san's, everyone. I'll give everyone a bright and happy future using my own power! "I swear I'll do everything as the [Pawn] of Rias Gremory-sama to protect her happiness!"

"Thanks...Oh yeah, Fujimura Shirou-kun. Is it all right for me to call you Shirou-kun like my little sister does?"

I shook my head. "No problem. It would actually be an honor to be called in such a way by a Maou-sama."

"I see. Then, Shirou-kun, won't you call me by my name, without the honorific if you'd like? Onii-san is fine as well."

I stared in surprise for several seconds at Lucifer-sama's light-hearted smile.

Is...Is this a sign of approval...to pursue his younger sister...?

I was about to say yes when-

SLAM!

The door of my room slammed open to allow me to see my still-inebriated and rather pissed off-looking older sister. Her cheeks were tinged with a slight pink color.

"Don't yooou dare shry to shteal my baby brother, ya damned crimson-haired hottie...!" Mako-nee wobbled slightly as she pointed an accusing finger in Lucifer-sama's direction. "I'll beatcha if you try sumthin...Sssssshhhirrou's only allowed ta call me, as hish big sistuh, Onee-san or Onee-chan or Onee-sama! So keep away!" Her words were very slurred.

I sighed. "Mako-nee-" I was stunned when Mako-nee suddenly appeared next to me, wrapping her arms around my body and nuzzling against the top of my head.

"Waaaaah! I wuv you sooo much, Sssshirou! Your Onee-chan wuuuvs you so much, waaaaaah!"

And then Mako-nee started crying out of the blue, rubbing her face against my head while saying such embarrassing things.

...Did I mention how crazy Mako-nee gets when she's drunk?

Then Mako-nee kissed me on the forehead, a flushed and embarrassed expression on her face.

"You know...You got kinda hot, Sssshirou...I mean...you ushed to be so aderable when you were little, but now yer so hooot...like a bishounen or sumthin..." She then kissed me on the head again and THEEEN I started panicking and pushing her away. It got even worse when drool started dripping from the corner of Mako-nee's mouth. Her expression was slight perverted.

"Mako-nee! You're drunk, acting creepy, and now I'm feeling a little scaaaaared!" I cried.

"Pressure point!" Another voice called out before an expression of shock appeared on Mako-nee's face, her ending her struggle against my attempts to push her away.

Mako-nee dropped to the ground, unconscious, allowing me to see behind her both Sakura and Grayfia-san who wore a slightly tired expression on her face.

Sakura smiled apologetically. "Don't worry, she'll just be unconscious for a few hours...or was it paralyzed..." Sakura frowned, as if trying to remember something. "Let's see...did that book say to strike a pressure point to paralyze or strike pressure point to kill...or was it knock them unconscious...?"

Now I feel afraid for Mako-nee.

Sakura shrugged. "Oh well." She bowed to me. "Sorry for the disturbance. I followed Grayfia-san after we sensed that Makoto-oneesama had awoken. We wanted to make sure she was okay...Makoto started saying weird things like "I sense a disturbance in the force" and creepy stuff like that..."

Then both she and Grayfia-san took one of Mako-nee's arms over their shoulders and dragged her out of the room, bidding both Lucifer-sama and I goodnight once again.

"Well...that happened." Lucifer-sama noted as the door to my room closed for the last time. "I guess, deep down, that child who ran away from me in her underwear hasn't truly changed at all..."

I rubbed the back of my neck, sighing. "Yeah...You saw a rather ugly side to my Onee-san right there...she's not usually that bad though. I wonder what's changed..." I shook my head. "So I guess calling you Onii-san is out, so calling you Sirzechs-sama will have to suffice for now."

Sirzechs-sama seemed disappointed actually. "Then, let's do it that way. Yeah, however, it's a pity. I wanted to be called Onii-san by the legendary dragon….. Meh, it will become that before long, so it should be fine with this for now." What does that mean?

Well, we should probably be going to sleep soon...but there was something that was bothering...

"Last question, I swear." I promised to Sirzechs-sama. "Earlier, I noticed you referred to Satan as "Satan-sensei"...Why is that, Sirzechs-sama...?"

Sirzechs-sama wagged his finger at me, as if to say "No no no" in a teasing fashion.

"Sorry, Shirou-kun, but that's a secret that remains between me and the other Maou."

He sounded like a teasing older brother.

"Maybe later..."

And that was the end of that.

With nothing better, both the Maou-sama and I went to sleep, trying to forget the events that had occurred involving an inebriated Mako-nee...

So in one day, I've formally met Sirzechs Lucifer-sama, Azazel-sama, and I've finally learned what's up with those Old Maou Faction guys...

DAMN! Looking back on it, I probably should've asked more about these [Khaos Brigade] guys...

Oh well~

I didn't think of it, so I didn't ask about it because I quickly drifted off to sleep...

**Aaaaaaand that is all! I'm sorry for taking so long with this! My inspiration's been off and on and I honestly planned on taking this further in this one chapter...Oh well~**

**Also, has anyone read the manga, Area D by Inou Ryouiki? It's good and I'm considering using an only slightly different version of Shirou for a protagonist...**

**Who wants to see me write an Area D fic? Anyone? Anyone at all?**

**That is all~**

**Thanks for the reads and reviews~!**

**Bye-Bye~!**


	24. Chapter 23:Swimming and Vanishing Dragon

**And here we are with the next chapter! Please read the messages at the bottom!  
**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except OC's.**

**Chapter 23:**

**Swimming and Meeting Vanishing Dragon**

**Shirou's POV...**

I went sightseeing with Sirzechs-sama after his and Grayfia-san's stay for a few days. I saw it as sightseeing even thought it was supposedly business. For Sirzechs-sama, it could've been either/or.

Who knows what it was from the Maou-sama's point of view. He competed with me in game centers (seems like he wants to establish game centers in the Underworld...which was a badass idea), at the hamburger shop we tested out all the flavors (he said he wanted to open chains of restaurants in the underworld…I support the idea), we went to the Shinto shrine (with Maou-sama's absolute demonic power the shrine's holy power was driven away, so we could go inside. Maou-sama is capable of anything. I guess that's why HE is the boss), even though at first glance it seemed his actions were all travel and enjoyment...I just couldn't get a read on this guy...All I know was that his power was at least several thousand levels above mine, maybe even millions of levels...

I also found it annoying...Whenever I tried asking Sirzechs-sama, he remained stubborn when it came to the subject of why he called Satan "Satan-sensei". I wasn't serious about prying into the personal affairs of the Maous, but I admit I got curious. I tried a few tricks. I tried creating wagers so Sirzechs-sama would tell me, but he won every time. I would try to bring it up out of the blue to try and trip him up, but that was not successful.

Oh well.

Back to the present!

Today, Buchou, Asia, Sakura, Xenovia, and I were all heading to school even though it was a holiday. Xenovia mostly met us on the way to school as she usually did. That's cos she lives in an apartment close by to my house so that way she can come to my house close by if she doesn't understand something.

Xenovia was still new to the land. She was still adjusting.

"Asia, were you able to finish last night's homework?"

"Yes. What about you, Xenovia-san?"

"Well, I don't know some things that are in Japanese. Would you teach me?"

"Yes! Please leave it to me!... But, Kanji is still a bit…"

"Me too. It's really scary that the Japanese learn these complex characters. I am catching a glimpse of a part of a major economic power."

Xenovia and Asia had already gained this friendly bond even though they intially started off on bad terms when they first met. I liked to call them the Church Duo. After all, it was their faith that deepened their bond together.

"I see. This is also the Lord's guidance."

"Yes, it is the Lord's guidance."

"Amen…Ouch!"

I sight, sweatdropping as the two were inflicted with pain yet again. "And here I am thinking that I'M the one with thick skull..." Seriously though! You could tell those two they take damage from praying as often as you'd like and they'd forget EVERY time.

How strange it is when I am the one who's telling someone off.

"Well then, you all. It will be the opening of the restricted use pool." Buchou said, chuckling at the antics of Asia and Xenovia.

Sakura clapped her hand excitedly, smiling excitedly. "I can't wait to go swimming! I've never been, but it sounds exciting!"

"Yeah..." I agreed unenthusiastically, trying to hide my apprehensive tone...

We, Occult Research club members, were ordered by the Student Council to clean the pool. It's already summer and the school has to open the pool.

Buchou already gave her consent to cleaning with the condition of us having the very first use of the pool, thus we eagerly (except for me) took out the moss leftover from taking out the water.

The only exciting part of this for me was seeing Buchou's swimsuit. Every time I saw it, I had a huge nosebleed. I saw Sakura and Akeno-san's swimsuits as well and it was at that point that I was certain the girls were trying to kill me with their erotic bodies...Not that that would be a bad way to die...

...Gah...Now if only we weren't going swimming...

* * *

**Sakura's POV...**

Aaaaaah! It's such a beautiful day~!

We were at the pool and the beautiful sun was warming my white skin. It was so warm and, if I had a nice, cozy place to lay down, it would be a perfect time to take a nap...

No wait! Stay focused! Today is my chance!

I wore a violet, one-piece swimsuit that I bought with certain specifications. I made sure it was one size short of what I would normally get so that way it would hug my body and emphasize my curves. It was a little uncomfortable, but I needed every advantage I could get if I wanted to compete with Rias-buchou. While I lost to her when it came to bust size, but I believed I could beat her in a contest of sexual appeal if I use the "better to conceal than reveal" strategy.

"Wow! You look amazing, Sakura." Master said in awed voice. I turned and became face-to-face with my Master, who was wearing nothing but black swim trunks. My eyes were allowed full access to the temple that was the body of Shirou Fujimura. There was a light pink on his cheeks as he rubbed the back of his neck, staring at me.

His well-toned body...that gorgeous face...that strange aura of dominance that surrounded him...

My panties would've been soaked if not for two things: 1) I had too much self-control. 2) I was not wearing panties.

"Erm...are you okay, Sakura?" Master had a slightly amused/confused expression while he stared at me.

I jumped when I realized I had been ogling my Master for the past couple minutes. Master probably was confused by the slightly lecherous expression I wore on my face.

Auuuu! I'm supposed to be the one using sexual appeal to seduce HIM! Not the other way around!

"Hey, Shirou...How does my swimsuit look?" Master jerked back as blood exploded out of his nose like a geyser when he laid his eyes on Buchou.

I was shocked to the point that even I had to admit Buchou was much sexier than me!

The small red fabric that is her brasserie! Her ungodly-sized breasts! This is not just a level where you can see the lower part of her breasts! The captivating leg lines are wonderful as well! She was a goddess!

Auuuuu! I'll never beat Buchoooooooooou!

"Ara ara. Buchou, you sure are fired up. Ufufu, you really wanted to show it to Shirou-kun. By the way Shirou-kun, how does mine look?" Akeno-senpai asked as she appeared as well.

GAAAH! Akeno-senpai's swimsuit was even more extreme! The cloth that made up her pure white swimsuit was less than Buchou! Master had his hands cupped over his nose as he stared in perverted awe at the two's swimsuits, blood dripping from between his fingers.

Is it truly so impossible to defeat these two Onee-samas!?

I was pulling on my air out of Master's sight, frightened over the thought that I might come out on bottom in the group.

Then a thought occurred to me.

Wait! There's still Koneko-chan and Asia! Kufufufufufu! There's no way I could lose a battle of sexual appeal to those two! Koneko's a loli and Asia's breasts are still budding! There's no way I can lose to them!

"Shirou-san. I-I came after changing as well."After turning around I saw Asia standing while fidgeting.

Asia was wearing the school swimsuit...No...No! It's not fair! NO! As I gazed at Asia in her school swimsuit...I realized the ultimate power of a cute bishoujo in that swimsuit...

"Asia," I noticed Master blushing again. "You...wow...you look really good in that. Really good..." He then turned to Koneko-chan who also wore the school swimsuit. "You also look very cute, Koneko-chan." His eyes weren't necessarily lustful, but he was clearly into how cute Asia and Koneko-chan looked...

When I saw the cute and tiny Koneko-chan, I felt a huge blow to my heart as I realized how hopelessly outmatched I was...

Koneko-chan shuffled slightly, a slight pink on her face.

"...Being seen with such obscene eyes...It's such a complex feeling I'm getting..."

Buchou placed a hand on Koneko-chan's shoulders, letting out a smile.

"With that, Shirou, sorry but please help Koneko out by being her partner and teaching her how to swim." Buchou asked...or maybe it sounded more like an order.

I fully expected Master to say 'Yes, Buchou' or something like 'I'll teach her to be the greatest there ever was', but instead he gained a strange expression. He turned his gaze towards the ground and hid his eyes behind his hair.

"No."

There was a long pause during which we were all certain that Hell had frozen over.

My master, Shirou Fujimura-Satan, just rejected Buchou's command.

"W-What?" Buchou asked, surprised.

Everyone KNEW how devoted he was to keeping Buchou happy, following all of her commands. For him to just so blantantly say "no" like that...

Master shook his head. "I can't do it. Have Sakura or Akeno-san teach her."

Buchou raised an eyebrow. "But I asked you to do it, Shirou. Can I at least have a reason why you won't teach Koneko how to swim?"

Master didn't look her in the eyes. "I just can't."

"...Are you mad at me, Senpai?" Koneko-chan asked in confusion, perhaps wondering if she had unintentionally offended Master somehow...I mean, she insults him just about every other day, but Master has a good sense of humor so he doesn't take her words seriously. Short of sucker-punching his sister or his friends or insulting his dream, there wasn't much that could truly offend Master.

Master shook his head, gesturing strongly that that was not what he meant. "I mean I can't do it. I can't teach Koneko-chan how to swim."

Even I was horribly puzzled by Master's behavior. "Master, are you simply not in the mood to teach Koneko-chan?"

"No!" Master said once more, raising his voice. "Like I said, I just can't! I can't teach her how to swim!"

Then Asia was the one to try and question Master, using a more specific question. "Shirou-san, why CAN'T you teach Koneko-san how to swim?" There was a long silence that followed Asia's question.

That was when I noticed it. It was hard to see since Master was covering his face, but I noticed it after he jumped slightly.

The embarrassed expression on his face...his cheeks turned a bright pink filled with humiliation.

"..." Master muttered something under his breath, but I couldn't quite catch it.

Akeno-senpai placed a hand on the side of her face as she stared, slightly interested, at Master.

"Ara ara. You're going to have to speak up, Shirou-kun. We didn't quite catch that."

Master turned away and it became much easier to see the blush on his face. "I...n't...m..." He played with his hands nervously in front of him and his entire face began turning a darker shade of red.

I cocked my head sideways. "What was that, Master? You're going to have to speak up just a bit louder."

Master groaned in annoyance, shuffling uncomfortably. "I...I can't teach Koneko-chan cos...well...I..." Master paused, taking a deep breath as he worked up the courage to speak whatever secret it was he was keeping.

"I can't swim..."

There was a long pause as all of us drank that in. The immediate responses from us were:

Buchou: "Hm?"

Akeno-senpai: "Ara?"

Asia: "Eh?"

Koneko-chan: "..." Koneko-chan's eyes were wide in surprise.

I raised my hand slightly, blinking as I tried to process what Master just said.

"Ummmm...Could you repeat that again?" It was shocked that caused me to ask again this time.

Master clenched his fists. "I don't know how to swim, OK!?" His face was steaming with embarrassment. He puffed up his cheeks with what could've been anger towards everyone's attention on him or utter humiliation. Either/or.

There was another long pause...until Buchou's giggles broke it into a million pieces. Akeno-senpai followed Buchou and she, too, started laughing. Asia successfully became the only one of us to hide her laughter while Koneko-chan simply turned around and covered her mouth to cover a smile.

"S-Shut up! It's not funny!" Master crossed his arms and refused to look at any one of us. "I...I...Mako-nee never taught me how...I never learned how to swim. Yes. Yuck it up all you want...Jerks..."

It was then that I noticed a change in Master's expression. It had become one of genuine shame. His self-esteem had taken a huge blow at the thought of not being able to swim. Being strong when it came to physical activities was something Master prided himself on. He admitted to not being as skilled when it came to politics, strategy, or magic, but his physical abilities was what he was most proud of.

I realized how much it hurt Master to be laughed at for not being able to do something just about every other person alive knew how to do.

"It's alright, Shirou." I narrowed my eyes when Buchou wrapped her arms around Master's left arm, squeezing it in-between her oppai. She had a soft smile and I could almost sense her licking her chops like a beast that was preparing to "pounce on its prey".

I kept a polite expression, but I was furious. Part of me wanted to scream "GET YOUR GODDAMNED HANDS OFF MY MASTER, YOU GODDAMNED SUCCUBUS!"

...but that was too harsh. Buchou is nowhere near as bad as a me, I KNOW. One ended up lost in the Familiar Forest once...That was a terrifying day for the denizens of the forest. I was one of the lucky ones who managed to hide until Satooji-san and his master managed to kick her out...I...I SAW THINGS! Things that would take quite a bit of therapy for me to forget...

But I was still unhappy about it.

Master blushed slightly, blinking in surprise at Buchou's sudden attack. "B-Buchou...?"

"What kind of master would I be if I didn't teach my most adorable servant how to swim when he has such an expression?" Buchou said in a mildly happy tone.

"Well, I certainly don't want to be left out so I'll help as well." Nobody was fooled by Akeno-senpai mostly due to the sneaky expression she wore on her face. It also didn't help that she had taken Master's other arm and squeezed it between her own oppai.

Master looked between Buchou and Akeno-senpai, uncertain what exactly was going on in their minds.

But he nodded. "Buchou...Akeno-san, t-thanks."

Oh~ That's so-Wait a minute.

WHY AM I BEING LEFT OUT OF HUGGING MASTER!? WAAAAAAAAH!

I abandoned all pride and lunged forwards, tackling my master and wrapping my arms around him as I buried my face into his chest. "Waaaaaah! I won't lose to them no matter whaaaaaat!" I cried.

"W-What's up with you, Sakura?!" He then let out a scream of surprise as he fell back and hit the ground painfully.

I REFUSE TO LOOOOOOSE!

* * *

**Shirou's POV...**

"Yes, 1, 2. 1, 2."

After that strangeness with Sakura had finished, my "training" in the pool began.

"Keep going. You can do it, Shirou-kun."

I was currently doing pedal exercises with Akeno-san as she held my hands, keeping me from drowning in the pool. I admit I felt a little embarrassed, having to be taught how to swim...

In order to avoid some sort of conflict, Buchou, Sakura, and Akeno-san decided to take turns in trying to teach me. Akeno-san was the one who went first.

And so now I was trying to get the hang of this.

"Keep it up, Shirou-san!" Asia-cheered.

"You can do it, Master!" Sakura shouted waving excitedly at me.

I took small breaths as I continued doing more and more of my exercises. I couldn't help but blush lightly.

"...Sorry for making you help me, Akeno-san." I apologized. "You and Buchou have to use your time at the pool teaching me and-"

"It's fine." Akeno-san assured me with a smile. "Teaching my adorable kouhai how to swim is fun."

I don't know why, but I just felt oddly vulnerable...and I was certain Akeno-san knew that. The strange thing was that she wasn't taking advantage of it like she normally would. I guess-

"Oops, we have reached the end~" Akeno-san said in an oddly familiar tone.

Completely pedaling for 25 meters and still having energy left, I ended up going to far and causing my face to collide with Akeno-san...well, a soft part of her...

Yes, I accidentally collided my face with her bountiful oppai.

SO SOOOOOOOOFT!...

Was my first thought. Oh to forever be wedged between these heavenly mountains would be-

No wait! I can't just do this!

I tried pulling away from Akeno-san, ready to apologize until I felt two arms wrap around me and pull be more closely and holding me tightly in my current position.

"Ara ara, such a naughty boy, Shirou-kun~" She teased. "Trying to take advantage of your loving Onee-sama right here~"

Wait a minute...she-!

"You bitch!" Buchou exclaimed as she no doubt came to the same exact thought. She probably shouted before she could think of something else to say. "You planned this!"

"Auuuuuu! I want to hold Master that close too!" I couldn't see because my face were pressed against Akeno-san's oppai, but apparently Sakura was crying.

She seemed to completely ignore Sakura and turned to Buchou. "So what if I DID plan it? What are YOU going to do? If you want to wage war over Shirou-kun, I have three words for you: Bring. It. On."

Oh, you probably shouldn't taunt her like that, Akeno-san...

* * *

**5 Minutes Later...**

I was sweating and panting as I hid in the pool equipment room, the sounds of explosions ringing out outside as Buchou and Akeno-san unleashed powerful magic attacks against one another.

THAT WENT SOUTH SO QUICKLY! I MEAN COME ON, BUCHOU! It was one sentence before you started obliterating everything in sight with your Power of Destruction!

I sighed. Then again, Akeno-san did make it worse because she had to go on a bit about all the things she would do like...

On second thought, maybe it would be better not to say it aloud...ever. The things she said were so dirty that even Koneko-chan's face turned a deep shade of red. Asia passed out with a nosebleed because those thoughts were in her head...It was honestly kind of weird to see a GIRL passing out from a perverted nosebleed...

Sakura, in response to everything, just started crying for some reason...I couldn't help but feel she was...JEALOUS somehow...

I really have no pride as a man! I should've said something smooth "Don't worry, there's enough of me to go around." or something like that! I mean...COME ON, SHIROU! Two women are fighting over you and you just...

Auuuu, I feel pity for myself.

I curled up into a ball, mentally crying to myself.

I paused when I realized I wasn't alone. I sighed. "Xenovia, you can come out."

Xenovia then appeared within my sight. "Oh my, it is Shirou-sama. What happened? And the outside seems a bit noisy."

I shook my head. "To sum it up: I couldn't swim and Buchou and Akeno-san are doing their damned well best to level the place and kill each other." I probably could've added more details, but that about sums it up. Then I noticed something. "Say, Xenovia...why are YOU here?" I didn't see any other guys other than me, so I doubt we had the same situation.

"It's my first swimsuit so it took me some time to put it on. Does it suit me?"

I wasn't sure whether or not to point out the fact there was a girl's changing room.

I then noted her bathing suit. It wasn't necessarily erotic like Buchou's or Akeno-san's, but it still looked good on her. Her nice, tight body and her well-developed curves...and her ass. Her ass was also fine.

I gave a big thumbs up and let out a bit of a perverted grin. "It...it's really good-On you, I mean!" I added quickly. "Is this the first time you've worn a swimsuit?" Xenovia nodded. "Is it because of the church's rule being so strict, that offensive stuff like this is prohibited, right?"

"Well that's right. Though before saying that, I, myself didn't have interest in stuff like this. Though the girls learning around me, the female soldiers let out their dissatisfaction at not being able to touch things like that."

I gave a shrug. I could understand that. Some people have a one-track mind. I could understand initially having a nature like hers.

"But, not only did my future change, even if it's just a bit, I want to experience the entertainment befitting girls, that's how I feel. That's what I have started feeling recently."

I smiled slightly. "That's good that you feel like that. Having such desires are only natural be you Devil or human."

I felt somewhat uncomfortable when Xenovia grabbed my arm and moved closer to me.

"Shirou-sama, there is something I wish to discuss with you." I cocked my head to the side in confusion.

"OK...what is it?"

That was when Xenovia dropped me to the ground and crawled on top of me.

"I want to have your children right now, Shirou-sama."

"Ah..." Was my response. Xenovia blinked. I blinked back. "What?"

She shook her head. "Nothing. I assumed you would freak out a little from what I've observed of you."

"No, I'm freaking out. I'm just doing it on the inside. If I start screaming and Buchou comes in to investigate and sees me like this...it...it will not be pleasant."

"Ah."

"Soooo..." I said as we started to drift into awkward silence. "Can I...maybe get an explanation or something?" Anything to break the silence.

Xenovia nodded. "I was born and brought in the headquarters of the church, Rome, so that the element to be able to wield Holy Swords would be born, from childhood, for God, for religion, I endeavored in my training and studies. From childhood, while saying that, dreams and objectives, everything was entwined with God and faith. For example, defeating Devils was for the sake of the Lord, and the one propagating that, the Vatican, while believing that, I've never doubted it. That's why, after becoming a Devil now, you can say that my dreams and objectives have disappeared."

"I get that part...but I was hoping more for an explanation as to why HAVING BABIES is the first thing on your mind." I said.

"Yeah, while serving God, I had thrown away the part of me, a women's happiness. My body, my heart, I sealed everything for the sake of faith. However, like this, I am currently a Devil. What should I do, initially I didn't understand. After asking my present master, Rias Buchou said [Devils are beings that possess greed, fulfill greed, award greed, and desire greed. Try living as you wish]."

"B-But-" I tried to interrupt only to be cut off.

"I want to bear children. YOUR children specifically." She leaned in, placing her hand under my chin to make me look into her eyes...which were honestly kind of beautiful...

I tried turning away, blushing deeply. "C-Can't we talk about this?"

Xenovia frowned, seeming confused. "Are you dissatisfied? Even if I am like this, I have a bit of confidence in my body as a woman. My breasts won't be as big Rias Buchou's but they're bigger than Asia's. I think they're worth seeing, are they not?" She said this while stroking her breasts, further striking at my willpower.

Auuuuuu! I truly want to give in! I want to fondle those beautiful oppai and lose my virginity to this sexy woman...but-

"Where does love factor into this...?"

Xenovia stared.

I sighed. "Your body is not the problem." I turned my gaze away from her. "I know I look like some kind of sexually-active delinquent, but I'm really not. I'm a guy looking for love like any other person. I can't just have sex with a random girl. Even the girls I plan to have in my harem in the future after I become a High-Class Devil would only be girls I had a sort of romantic connection to..." I then started feeling depressed. "Besides, I know the only reason you want me is because of Satan's blood and my power as the Sekiryuutei..."

That would be just about the only reason a woman would truly desire me. Other than pure lust and a desire for strong children, there aren't any other reasons for a woman to truly desire me...Not after I became who I am now...

PAT PAT

I looked up in confusion at Xenovia who was awkwardly patting me on the head.

There was an awkward silence that passed between us that signaled Xenovia to stop.

...

"What was that?"

I might've been going crazy, but I could've sworn I saw Xenovia blush a little.

"I...When we met the Maou and I was feeling sad, I oddly felt better after Shirou-sama patted me on the head." Xenovia explained. "I thought you would feel better if I patted you on the head."

...That's...actually kind of cute.

"And your blood isn't the only reason I chose you."

I looked up, surprised at Xenovia's sudden statement. "Eh?"

Xenovia continued. "While it's true I want to have strong children, them possessing the strength from their father's genes, there's another reason I chose you." She backed away, slightly staring down.

I could swear to all of the MAOU that she was blushing.

"Back during our fight against Kokabiel...when I found out about God's death, I lost my will to fight...I thought I was going to die at that moment...I thought we were doomed as God's protection did not exist...but you helped me. You gave me the strength to stand back up and keep moving forward. Thank you." Xenovia bowed her head slightly.

I felt my face heat up again. "Erm...D-Don't mention it." I suddenly felt weird. It wasn't an awkward weird...just...more like I was happier to be there...it was a warm feeling really.

"I realized that there was more than just physical strength." Xenovia stated. "You possess a powerful strength of will like no other. That's the kind of strength I want my children to have. You also have one of the kindest hearts of the Gremory group. Those are the reasons I chose you. If the power of the Sekiryuutei or Satan didn't exist, I would still choose you for these reasons."

"Tch." I clicked my tongue. "B-Baka, I'm neither of those things. I'm just incredibly stubborn when I decide to do something..." I felt embarrassed by Xenovia's praise.

"So let's try it once right now."

Eh?

With no hesitation whatsoever, Xenovia took off the top part of her swimsuit, revealing the true gloriousness of her bountiful breasts.

I let a slight scream as blood began to drip from my nose. They...they bounced a little...

"I know about the birth of Devils as well. It seems it's quite difficult to make kids. Especially both being pure blooded, it's difficult but luckily both you and I are Reincarnated Devils. The base is human, and your sexual desire is strong as well. I expect if we do it every day, then within 10 years, I should be able to conceive. No, if it's your strong sexual desire, then within a day, a number of times should be possible? If you include that, then I think it's possible within 5 years. Aah, there's no problem from the side of the children as well. Basically I will raise them. However, if the children desire love from their father, then only at those times do I want you to play with them. After all, for the children, both father and mother are required."

E-E-EVERY DAAAAAY!? Wait, no. There's...

"There's no way I could do that!" I shouted. "If we had kids, I would never abandon all of you and let you raise them alone...I know what that's like...to not truly know your own parents..." I trailed off, feeling sad again, remembering Oka-sama and how Mako-nee chose to spend her life caring for me...all because of _that man_. "If we had kids, I would forever remain by your side to raise them!" Wait...WHAT THE FUCK DID I JUST SAAAAAY!? BAKA BAKA BAKA! WHY THE HELL DID YOU SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT!? WHAT THE FUCK, SHIROU!?

I mentally started beating the shit out of myself for that foolish slip of the tongue.

Xenovia smiled, letting out a slight chuckle. Did I say something funny?

"Hm...an excellent father as well...yet another reason..." Xenovia mused to herself. She then frowned. "But what's this complex emotion I'm feeling." She shrugged. She then turned back to me. "Unfortunately I don't have any experience with men. I plan on memorizing it from now on, but for now I'll learn with Shirou-sama who seems to be abundant with knowledge about sex."

I started panicking shaking my head very quickly. "N-Now hold on! I-I never said I would do it with you!"

Xenovia sat up, staring at me. "So you refuse to do it?"

I nodded. I mean...maybe later in my life when I feel like I'm responsible enough to have kids, but not right now...

"I see. I'm sorry then." I was about to ask "About what?" when Xenovia once again lunged at me, tackling me so I landed on the ground on my back, Xenovia pinning my arms to the ground. She was staring at me intently, her oppai bouncing slightly from the sudden movement.

I suddenly had a terrible feeling I knew where this was going.

"X-Xenovia!? What are you doing?!"

Xenovia seemed to turn a slight pink color...She WAS blushing!

"Back during the battle against Kokabiel, he told us two things. The first being that you like strong women." That's true. That guys a huge ass for revealing that. "The second was...that you were secretly a masochist, that you like to be dominated."

I resisted the urge to do a spit-take. WHAAAAAAAT!? I AM NOT A FREAKING "M"! FUCK YOU, SATAAAAAN!

Something about that really pissed me off!

Before I could ponder my actions, I lunged forward and knocked Xenovia off of me and so I was the one pinning HER to the ground.

"Now listen here! I'm not a goddamned "M"! I'm the guy who'll be on top and-"

"Ara ara, what on earth is this..._Master_." I turned my head slowly, seeing the door to the room open to reveal a blank-faced Sakura, violet-colored killing intent radiating off of her.

"Shirou...what's the meaning of this?" While showing a forced smile, Buchou was standing there exhausted. Buchou's body was covered by a thin red demonic power layer.

"Ara ara, that's unfair, Xenovia-chan. It was planned that I would take Shirou's chastity?" Akeno-san was smiling, but she had just as much killing intent as Buchou and Sakura.

Asia seemed to be fidgeting angrily. She was sobbing a little. "… You're mean…. E-Even I said it…"

"...I feel so angry." Koneko-chan said with narrowed eyes. "...I feel angry and I'm not sure why..." She was also radiating slight killing intent, but hers was in the shape of a cat. Weird. Scary, but weird.

Meanwhile, Xenovia had an oblivious expression. "What's wrong, Shirou? Now, let's make kids."

"Read the mood a littllllle!" I shouted at her.

The colors on all of the girl's faces changed.

Just like that...I'm dead.

I would like to tell them that this was some sort of misunderstanding, that this wasn't what it looked like...but I couldn't pull that off. It WAS what it looked like...sort of. I was pinning Xenovia to the ground in what was clearly a preparatory sexual position. Whether or not my blood would've been hot enough for me to go through with it, I would never know.

"Buchou! There's a reason for this!" Lie. I just lied.

"I know. It's my mistake. It's my fault for letting my eyes off of you, who has an excess of sexual desire, for even a bit. But you know, Shirou...I wonder what's the meaning of making kids?" Buchou smiled sweetly in a VERY scary way.

I chuckled fearfully at that. "Hehehe, well-erm...about that...What's that over there?!"

I was certain that my Plan B was going to finally fail this time, but yet again, I underestimated it.

All of the girls present in the room immediately turned towards the direction I pointed in.

Holy shit! What kind of day is today, right?

The moment their attention was diverted, I made a break for it. I ran as fast as my legs could carry me, determined to avoid being "executed" by the beautiful bishoujo of the ORC including the woman I was in love with.

Hahaha! Sweet freedom!...Is what I thought.

Unfortunately for me, I had forgotten that I was in a very slippery and dangerous area.

Now, if you've ever been to a pool EVER, someone has probably told you at least once not to run around the pool or something like that...There's a reason for that.

That reason made itself known by me when I slipped in some water that had splashed up beside the pool. I ended up sliding for a few seconds and for a few brief seconds in-between, I thought I would've been able to regain my balance. I was wrong. I slipped and I felt my head hit the ground hard. I bounced once to my left.

My vision became fuzzy and everything kind of went dark after that...

The last thing I remembered was my body being submerged into water...

* * *

**Rias's POV...**

To say I was angry would be an understatement.

I WAS FURIOUS!

This day had been nothing like I'd planned! I had intended to use my body as well as my sexy bathing suit to seduce and secure Shirou's affection! Then Akeno had to be a total (and I love her like a sister when I say this) BITCH and ruin everything! I mean...I wasn't sure how far I wanted the moment I had in mind to go, but I at least wanted my adorable servant to embrace me lovingly and...

No! Not now! No steamy thoughts now! Focus!

Anyway, I can't believe I fell for Shirou's clever "Look over there" trick again!

My adorable servant is as clever as he is attractive!

I was about to give chase to 'talk to him' after I caught him, but the world had other plans. The others and I had left the room to see Shirou running hurriedly only to slip and hit his head against the ground.

That wasn't how it ended.

After hitting the ground, he bounced once and slipped into the pool with a loud splash.

Oh no you don't! You're not getting off that easily!

We all gathered by the side of the pool where Shirou had fallen in.

"Shirou! Get back up here!" I demanded.

"Ara ara, if you come back now, I'll only 'punish' you lightly, Shirou-kun~" My [Queen] said with a sexual tone.

Grrrr! Even now you're trying to steal away my precious [Pawn]!

Koneko leaned forward over the water with slight worry in her eyes. She always seemed like that concerning Shirou lately. Apparently something seriously changed after the Rating Game against Riser. Koneko denied everything, but apparently Shirou has managed to worm his way into her heart if not just a little bit.

"...Um, Buchou..." Asia spoke up.

"...did Senpai ever finish his swimming lessons...?"

We all let that lone thought sink in...

My adorable [Pawn]...the one who could not swim...was at the bottom of a pool...possibly unconscious...He still hasn't come back up.

[SHIROOOOOU!]

We all screamed in perfect unison upon realizing the same thought. Shirou was drowning!

SPLASH!

Before any of us could act in any way to go to Shirou's rescue, a blue-haired blur ran past us and did a perfect dive into the pool.

I heard someone say something along the lines of "I will save Shirou-sama." shortly before the blue-haired blur jumped into the pool.

There was a good twenty seconds before the thought of going after her before someone suddenly exploded out of the water, said someone carrying Shirou with one arm of her shoulder as she swam back over to the edge of the pool.

Xenovia threw Shirou back onto the land before helping herself out as well.

On a subconscious level, I felt somewhat annoyed how her chest was still bared for the world to see like it was when she tried seducing my...my adorable servant.

We all immediately crowded around Shirou, trying to determine his condition. His face was somewhat pale and I felt my heart stop. I kneeled by his side and leaned in.

I couldn't see or hear him breathing...

He wasn't breathing.

"He's not breathing!" I half-shouted/half-screamed aloud as the horrifying thought truly sank in.

"Shirou-san!" Asia shouted in worry. Koneko also had a worried look.

"Shirou..." Akeno's previous sneaky smile had turned into a worried frown.

"Master! Don't die!" Sakura was on the other side of Shirou.

"Move aside please, Sakura." Xenovia said as she also appeared by Shirou's side.

His face was getting paler...He's dying!

Before any of us could question her, Xenovia placed her hands on Shirou's chest before she started pushing down on the area around where his heart should be. After a few seconds, she stopped and moved over to his face. She took a deep breath...I couldn't get a single word out before she...she...she...

SHE KISSED HIM! THAT BLUE-HAIRED HUSSY KISSED HIM!

I had trouble containing my anger despite the situation. I managed to keep it down to a mild killing intent though...

Xenovia pulled away and then returned to pumping on Shirou's heart. It was only then that I realized she was giving him CPR. I still felt a twinge of annoyance when she returned to giving Shirou mouth-to-mouth after a few seconds of pumping on his heart. The cycle repeated itself again and again as Asia stared with her hands over her mouth. Koneko simply averted her gaze while Akeno seemed just as conflicted as I did about the method...

Sakura just had a disturbingly blank expression on her face. Whether she was feeling like me and Akeno or if she was simply hiding her worry was anyone's guess.

For five agonizingly long minutes we sat and watched as Xenovia continued to try and resusitate Shirou.

Then-

PFFFFFFT!

The last time Xenovia was pumping on Shirou's chest, water spewed from his mouth like a geyser.

There was a spasm of coughing as we all watched Shirou's body shudder. It was still again, but the color started returning to his face.

His eyes twitched.

Good...he's alive...

Shirou's eyes slowly slid open and he had a tired look on his face until he realized where he was. He seemed confused and opened his mouth to say something when-

"MMPH!" Despite Shirou being clearly away, Xenovia smashed her lips against his once again. She made Shirou lay down despite his face turning a deep shade of red.

Xenovia pulled away and once again started pumping on Shirou's chest, much to everyone's confusion and annoyance.

"What...do you think you're doing, Xenovia...?" I asked, my fists shaking with rage.

Xenovia ignored me and then forced Shirou back to the ground, kissing him and not keeping any pretense of giving him CPR as she clearly rammed her tongue into Shirou's mouth. He began to thrash about as he suddenly realized what was going on.

CLEVER BITCH! WHY DIDN'T I THINK OF THAT!

Xenovia only backed away when Shirou started trying to push her head away with a surprising amount of resistance.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

"I'm continuing from where we left off." Xenovia answered without shame. She then forced Shirou to the ground again, pinning his arms down. She then reached her hand downward... "Now it's time to see how you "measure up" as a man." Shirou looked like he was about to pass out judging from all the blood rushing to his face as Xenovia suddenly reached betwee his legs and...and...she grabbed "something" from outside his swim suit, stroking it slightly as Shirou let out a HUGE squeak of shock and embarrassment, doing his best to escape his captor.

She would've continued if it hadn't been for me who grabbed her arm.

I didn't even bother with the sickeningly sweet smile filled with killing intent.

"To "attack" my adorable Shirou right in front of me...You have some nerve..."

I don't really remember what came after that...I remember explosions...and then Akeno, Koneko, and even Sakura joining in...

It became a free-for-all...All I know is that it took us longer to repair the pool then it took us to clean it.

* * *

**Shirou's POV...**

I sighed as I made my way back to the school campus.

Now I have several more reasons to hate pools and swimming in general. I can't swim, I literally got ATTACKED by girls, and now I have several more reasons to fear just about every girl in the ORC.

It was awesome cos I got to see Buchou and the other girls in swim suits and cos I saw Xenovia's amazing breasts, but I think the cons outweigh the pros...

I felt my face flush. For some reason, I couldn't get the sensation of Xenovia's tongue embracing mine out of my mind. It...It just made me feel so weird every time I thought about it...

**(Heads up, brat. I feel a familiar presence...up ahead.)**

I felt a chill roll down my spine as that voice once again resounded inside my own head.

It wasn't Ddraig's and I couldn't find the source from where it originated. I tried entering that world within my soul to search for it every now and then with Ddraig, but it always vanished by the time I got there. It clearly was doing it just to piss me off.

I noticed a silver-haired teen about my age with blue transparent eyes standing by the school gate.

Upon noticing me approaching, he smiled.

I hated him instantly.

I don't know why, but I just hated that silver-haired bastard the moment I laid my eyes on him.

"Hey, it's a good school."

"Yeah...Not the worst place I guess..." I admitted, forcing a smile in an effort to remain polite with this...this...douchebag!

Who the fuck is this guy?!

The silver-haired teen answered me like this: "I am Vali. The Hakuryuukou - Vanishing dragon."

Ah. Maybe that's why...No...my dislike for this guy seemed to go deeper than this...

**(Yeah...I never DID get along with this shit's ancestor...)**

Seriously! That voice is really-!

I gave an awkward peace sign. "Yo. Been a while White Dragon-kun."

"This is the second time we meet here, huh, Satanic Welsh Dragon - Satanic Sekiryuutei. Fujimura Shirou."

I narrowed my eyes as my left arm started burning. The power of the Sekiryuutei as well as something else was resonating with this guy's presence...The premonition of death that began to radiate around us...it must've been from Ddraig and my predecessors.

He was definitely the Vanishing Dragon...Damn! I can't fight him here! I really want to, but this isn't the right battleground...

The Vanishing Dragon gave me a rather inappropriate smile.

"That's right. For example, if I begin to do something magical to Fujimura Shirou here-"

I didn't react as two swords placed themselves by Vali's neck when his hand neared my face.

It was Yuuto and Xenovia! Despite their trembling hands, they held their choice swords at the throat of the current Hakuryuukou's throat.

Their skills had certainly increased since they were able to come here without me being able to sense them until now, but even they could tell they stood no chance against this guy.

"I don't know what you plan to do but don't you think your joke went too far?"

"I can't let you start your rival showdown with the Satanic Sekiryuutei here, Hakuryuukou."

Yuuto and Xenovia spoke with such scary tones of voice that caused me to feel slightly impressed...

"Enough, both of you!" Yuuto and Xenovia both looked at me in surprise.

...No one had to get hurt in the conflict between me and the Hakuryuukou. It's supposed to be just me and him...

"You should listen to him," Vali said. "Even he can already tell your hands are shaking." I couldn't help but feel this bastard was looking down on us. "It's fine to boast. Not knowing the difference between your opponent's strength is strong evidence. Between me and you there is a decisive difference in power. You who couldn't win against the likes of Kokabiel with your own power, won't be able to win against me."

My own power...that's right...during the battle against Kokabiel, the fragment of Satan's soul that rested within me took over and took the bastard out. I wasn't able to do anything on my own...The only reason I was able to do anything was because of the power that Oka-sama passed down to me. The ability to wield Holy Swords that awakened and allowed me to wield Excalibur Destruction. Even then, I technically lost.

We only survived because of that relic from the past...

I also doubt that this current Hakuryuukou would've had any trouble with Kokabiel despite him being one of the leaders.

"Fujimura Shirou, what rank do you think your strength is in this world?"

The question surprised me somewhat. The arrogant part of my mind was screaming "No contest! I'm number 1!", but the more realistic part of my mind reminded me that there were so many guys who were stronger than me at my current level.

"Counting from the top in your condition of the incomplete balance breaker, it would be a 4 digit number - between 1000 to 1500. No. For you who possesses the evolved sub-species of [Boosted Gear] and who carries the blood of the former Devil King, it could amount to a three digit number. If you let out that power from before...perhaps you could even reach a two digit number."

I clicked my tongue. "Tch. As if I care about something stupid like ranking when compared to the rest of the world. It doesn't matter what rank I am now," I pointed one finger towards the sky. "Cos I will definitely become the strongest existence! The man who will surpass the powers of Heaven and Hell combined!" I then pointed at Vali before flipping him the bird. "So to sum it up, you can take your rankings and shove'em up your ass cos I don't give a shit!"

Vali just stared. I had no idea whether he was insulted, surprised, angry, amused, or anything because his expression remained the same as before. Perhaps he just didn't care...

He smirked. "That's quite ambitious of you. I admire that goal, but you do know that there are many people far stronger than you, correct? Even the Crimson Satan, Sirzechs Lucifer, won't fit in the top ten. Not only that, but it would be nearly impossible for you to reach number 1. The first strongest being is a fixed existence. How can you expect to even get that close when you can't even get on my level first? You have to rely on someone else's power to even pose a threat."

I paused, staring at him after that insult. "You know...I am five seconds away from beating the shit out of you." I said with a blank expression and a raised fist. Even if I couldn't beat him, I could still cause him as much pain as possible.

Vali's smirk became a genuine smile of amusement. "Hmph. You are an interesting person, Fujimura Shirou. Truly a valuable existence. It's best if he's raised well, Rias Gremory."

I followed Vali's gaze behind me and was somewhat surprised to see Buchou, Akeno-san, Koneko-chan, Asia, and Sakura. Buchou had a displeased expression on her face. Akeno-san and Koneko-chan looked ready to fight while Asia was troubled. Sakura had narrowed eyes and was...hissing?

"Hakuryuukou, what's the meaning of this? If you're having ties with the Fallen Angels then more contact than required is-"

"VAAAAALIIIIIIIII! YOU ASSHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLE!" Everyone blinked several times at the sudden voice.

I looked around when-

SLAM!

A new figure fell from the sky, drop-kicking the silver-haired Hakuryuukou right in the face!

All of our jaws dropped from that shocking action!

Vali jerked back slightly from the impact, but he did not fall.

The figure who dared to assault him out of the blue used his face as a platform to backflip away and land on her feet.

It was Yoko! That violet-haired lightning senpai of mine! She looked pissssssed~!...Why did she look so hot all of a sudden?

Electricity crackled through her violet hair as she glared at Vali for whatever he had done...

Oh yeah. They're both associated with the Fallen Angel group. It would make sense that they'd know one another.

"Yo, Yoko-san!" I waved at Yoko who paid me less than a single glance. She didn't seem to hate me anymore since we released our hatred during our previous battle. Now we were more neutral acquaintances than anything.

She then turned back to Vali with clenched fists. Vali had a red mark on his face in the shape of the bottom of Yoko's shoe, but other than that he seemed completely unfazed. Was he used to this kind of thing?

"You asshole! What did I specifically tell you RIGHT BEFORE we left!?" Yoko asked angrily.

"Not to engage the Satanic Sekiryuutei." Vali stated in a monotone voice.

"And what are you doing?!"

"Engaging the Satanic Sekiryuutei." Vali held no shame. "I never said I would listen to your order."

Yoko's eye twitched. "Y-You!" She said it like it was some sort of swear word. Dark clouds started to form in the sky as the amount of electricity running through her hair started to increase to unbelievable amounts.

A terrible feeling filled my soul. Vali looked up at the clouds smirking.

"So you wish to have another rematch? This makes the 22nd one."

Yoko glared at Vali, not responding to that particular question. "Let's. Go. NOW, Vali! We still have work we have to do!" Before she could absolutely blow her top, she grabbed Vali by the collar and started dragging him away. Vali still seemed unconcerned.

Yoko took a deep breath when she passed by Buchou. She bowed her head slightly.

"Please forgive my foolish bro-I mean comrade for any trouble he may have cause you, Rias Gremory. I assure you it will not happen again." Buchou nodded, uncertain how else to react. The clouds in the sky gradually began to vanish.

I clenched my fists before turning to Buchou. "Buchou..." She turned to look at me. "I swear on my name that I definitely won't lose to that guy."

There would be no way...I refuse to back down...

"When the time comes..._I'll definitely defeat the Hakuryuukou._"

**Aaaaaaaaaand done~! I'm sorry that it only went this far this time...but it just took me forever. I knew Volume 4 would be the slowest of all four volumes...I'm sorry...I just hope I haven't forgotten anything. I can honestly say this chapter has not lived up to my expectations...**

**More and more's getting revealed~! Another potential harem member will be introduced next chapter (hopefully)~!...two depending on how long I make the chapter...**

**Also, for those of you wh don't know, I'm writing a Fate/Stay Night fic with an OC Holy Grail War. I'm accepting Master and Servant OC's. The format sheet is on my profile page.**

**Also, still accepting suggestions for harem members!**

**Aaaaaanyyyyything I'm forgetting...?...Oh yeah...I'm still having trouble deciding what I'm going to do for my second serious DxD fic (I don't count Son of Sitri since it's on hiatus).**

**Here are the possible ideas for a DxD fic:**

**-The child of a Yakuza boss who is a cross-dressing girl with self-esteem issues. She will have a bi-harem~!**

**-The twin brother of Rias who attends Kuoh Academy along with her. He will have his own Peerage that is still being decided (I will accept suggestions).**

**-Another idea is an exorcist who would become the Knight of Serafall Leviathan. He would formerly be best friends with Siegfried (whom he will have a type of Naruto-Sasuke type of relationship with) and a Demonic Sword wielder...Maybe Arondight or...something. **

**-A bishounen teacher who is sexually pursued by most of the girls in the school due to his good looks and has to run to avoid them due to his principles of never getting involved with his students further than friendship. This gets harder after becoming a Devil, unlocking his Sacred Gear with a piece of a fire god's soul sealed inside, and ending up as a member of Sona's Peerage.**

**...So let me know what you guys think...**

**Thanks for the reads and reviews~!**

**Bye-Bye~!**


	25. Chapter 24: I Hate Awkward Silences

**And here we are with the next chapter!...Sorry it took so long...It's mostly this story arc I'm having trouble with. Shite be complicated.**

**Also...I've been having some misgivings about all of the OC's I've added and about Blade Genesis...**

**I've been considering rewriting Devil Reborn and instead giving Shirou Boosted Gear.**

**What do you guys think? Please respond via review or PM...although, I suppose those are the only two ways TO respond.**

**The plot will be a bit more fixed up with less OC's. Maybe a more perverted and romantically aggressive Shirou (as in, he won't be a total pansy when it comes to girls. He won't be the bonehead protagonist who can't see the heroine's love even when it's so obvious).**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except OC's.**

**Chapter 24:**

**I Hate Awkward Silences**

**Shirou's POV...**

"I can't believe I'm actually doing this." Mako-nee said with a sigh as we (her, Asia, Sakura, Buchou, and I) arrived at the school gates.

I clicked my tongue. "Hey, the only reason I asked is because this means a lot to Asia. If I had any other choice, I would've never even have told you about it. Like I'd want you in my class. You'd probably just beat everyone until they get a concussion like last time."

"Damn straight!" Mako-nee shouted, waving her fists angrily. "That's what those bastards get for calling me old enough to be your mother! I'M NOT OLD, GODDAMMIT! SCREW YOU GUYS! Don't they know mature beauty! They don't know anything, those immature brats. Don't know when a beautiful woman's standing right in front of them..." Mako-nee's mumbling went on kind of like that.

Realizing that was it for now, Asia, Sakura, Buchou, and I exchanged glances before we carefully tiptoed away, determined not to trigger my Onee-sama's unintentional wrath.

As we made our way to the school building, I still couldn't help but feel somewhat apprehensive for several reasons.

I was excited yet apprehensive. It was a rather complex feeling.

Anyway~, we went our separate ways from Buchou at the front gates as usual.

She still clearly disliked the idea of classroom visits. Of course people will talk if her older brother and father appear.

But hey, I say she has it a little bit easier than I do. At least SHE doesn't have to stay on guard to make sure her older sibling doesn't go on a homicidal rampage. I say I have the harder time between the two of us.

So Sakura and Asia followed me into my classroom and of course the Perverted Duo walked up to me. Kiryuu was with them, going to stand by Asia. Sakura went off into the corner of the room, wearing a sneaky smile as she met up with Katase and Murayama.

Not in too much of a bad mood, I waved. "Yo."

The two perverted males seemed somewhat nervous.

Matsuda swallowed. "S-So...I heard your sister is coming today..." Matsuda seemed rather afraid.

Motohama adjusted his glasses. "Are there any areas of the school we'd need to avoid in order to avoid the untold destruction that that woman will unleash?"

I frowned. "Huh?" Makoto beat people senseless, but casual destruction wasn't her style.

It was then that I realized that these two clowns never met Mako-nee. I never really invited them over to my house. Other than the members of the ORC, Kiryuu was the only one of my friends who had personally met Mako-nee. There had been horrifying rumors concerning Mako-nee and her being some sort of demon (which, hilarious as it is, isn't too far from the truth).

I waved off their concerns. "Don't worry. Mako-nee's an impulsive, self-centered, violent, abusive, cruel, evil, vulgar-"And the list went on and on until I eventually forgot my point. It's lucky that I remembered it near the end because it would be embarrassing otherwise. "-but she wouldn't start a ruckus if Asia was here." Then I remembered one exception to this. "...But word to the wise: Don't call her old say anything related to age."

Both Matsuda and Motohama swallowed before nodding.

"R-Right..."

"A-As long as Asia-chan is around, w-we should be OK."

Yep...but if they tried using Asia as a beautiful shield against Mako-nee's wrath, even if Mako-nee did nothing, they were gonna die.

"This sort of thing is a first for me so I am really excited!" Asia said with excitement clear in her heart. She then turned to Matsuda and Motohama. "And you don't have to worry about Mako-nee. She may seem rough on the outside, but she's truly a misunderstood and gentle soul."

...I think I should go get Asia's head checked out...

"Shirou-sama." Xenovia said as she approached our group. My ecchi-senses were tingling, so I KNEW that something ecchi-related and embarrassing was going to happen in a few moments.

To be honest, I kind of took to avoiding being alone with Xenovia or even in a group. It's kind of awkward and impossible to speak with a straight face when I remembered her shoving her tongue down my throat every time I looked at her.

"Ara ara, are you okay, Shirou~?" Kiryuu teased, a cat-like smirk on her face. "You catching a fever or something?" I shot her a demonic glare. Kiryuu was the only person I told certain details to regarding the incident (omitting the parts involving Buchou and Akeno-san trying to kill each other with demonic powers). I only did it because she was a girl and I wanted to be sure that my position with Buchou didn't worsen...worst idea I ever had, telling the queen of female perverts about that event.

"Shut it, you pervy glasses character." I hissed. The situation was only made worse because I couldn't help but notice how attractive Xenovia looked in the girl's student uniform. I looked away, hiding my blush. "A-Anyway, what's up?"

"Sorry for saying 'that' the other day..." Xenovia paused. "...And for forcing myself on you."

.

.

.

Idiot.

[EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHH!?]

Matsuda and Motohama had such shocked expressions on their faces. They didn't even say anything.

They were frozen in place by shock.

"I kept on speaking without thinking about you." Xenovia apologized. I waved it off.

"It's no big deal. I admit I was shocked, but it's actually a little flattering." I said, wishing to restore whatever our previous relationship by ending the conversation as soon as possible. I did my best to hide the slight blush on my face.

"That's why-" Oh why do I get a bad feeling all of a sudden?

Xenovia took out something from her pocket...Are those...?...Yep.

"First we should practice using these." Xenovia held a pouch filled with several condoms.

I closed my eyes, breathing in...then out. I then turned to Kiryuu with a deceptive smile on my face.

"Oh, Kiryuu, can I borrow that magazine you usually carry around?" I asked politely.

Confused, Kiryuu complied, handing over the magazine she kept around in case she needed to smack Matsuda or Motohama (or both as per the usual).

"Thank you." I then placed myself next to Xenovia and lifted the rolled-up magazine.

SMACK!

I slammed the magazine against the back of Xenovia's head with as much force as I could muster.

"DUMBAAAAASSSS!" Xenovia's head jarred forward from the impact, her eyes wide with surprise. "THE FUCK'S WRONG WITH YOU, TAKING THOSE OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF SCHOOL LIKE THIIIIIS!?"

The class was suddenly abuzz the moment everyone caught sight of the condoms that Xenovia held.

Yep. You always know something's gonna happen when your gut starts going crazy.

"In the world I was in, there was dispute in the use of this but putting it on in Japan would be more convenient following the country's pattern after all."

THAT'S NOT THE FUCKING PROBLEM HEEEEEEERE!

I felt like crying to myself.

The rumors of me being a sexual deviant were only going to get worse and my position with Buchou might worsen as weeeeeell!

"Y-YOU-! At the very least, think about the time and place for pulling thiiiiiiis!"

Xenovia only tilted her head, seeming confused.

Out of frustration, I couldn't really do anything else but face-palm.

Just...Just what world does she come from...?

"It's good for Asia to use it as well." Xenovia added, causing me to do a dry spit-take. "Unplanned sexual intercourse would hurt both of you. The relationship between men and women is difficult."

Xenovia handed one of the condoms to Asia, who appeared to have a confused expression on her face.

Kiryuu, pushing up her glasses with a sneaky look on her face, whispered in Asia's ear.

...It took five seconds for Asia's face to become as red as a tomato. "...Uuh..." Then she fainted.

BAM! SMACK!

I slammed my fist into the back of Kiryuu and Xenovia's skulls, punishing those two perverted idiots.

First I glared at Kiryuu. "YOU, stop infecting Asia with your perversion!" I then turned and glared at Xenovia. "And you, don't give Asia such things!"

"What what? Is Shirou going to go at it bare?" With full interest and shining glasses, Kiryuu smirked at me. "But, I wonder if it's all right. If you sleep with Xenovia then Asia will-"

"Kiryuu-saaaaan! Please stoooooooop!"

Ooh! The suddenly revived Asia covers Kiryuu's mouth. Somehow, she seemed to be in a maximum hurry level, but about what?

Kiryuu pouted. "Geez, Asia. I told you right? If you don't start moving soon, Shirou will become something troublesome. There are a lot of formidable enemies around him, you know? If you keep dilly dallying, before you know it, he may be eaten. You won't like that, right? A man with the scent of another woman."

"Ouch! Why does Kiryuu-san keep on giving me explosive blasts like that…"

"I am worried. You're fine with me being your only ally, right? I am fine with a clean mood as well but you gotta do what you gotta do at times! Even you, Asia is ripe enough for eating!"

"Am I r-ripe enough for eating?" Asia asked, turning to me.

...

...

...I'm sorry. I kind of zoned out there for a sec...Just what the fuck are they talking about?

"...Y...Yes?" I answered uncertainly.

"Isn't that great, Asia! You'll be eaten!" Kiryuu said with powerful emotion and her usual perverted smirk.

"Dammmmmit! Asia-chan will be eaten!"

"Damn you, Shirooooooooooou!"

Matsuda and Motohoma both cursed me with every bit of their beings.

"Damn you, cruel world! Why must you let that bastard steal every girl in existence?!" Matsuda cried out.

I sweatdropped.

"Show me your hand a bit." Kiryuu took my hand and examined it. "...It's good enough, you cut your fingernails quite deep."

I rubbed the back of my neck. "Yeah...it's just the way I've always done it. Shorter nails meant lower chances of accidentally scratching myself or others...so?"

"Those men who cut their fingernails quickly play intensely with women is what I hear." Kiryuu said. "Yes, to grope a women's body, if you have long fingernails then it's quite inconvenient."

I glared at her. "Just...shut up..." I would've said more, but I suddenly remembered a previous conversation I had with Buchou concerning something...it had to do with romance and whatnot and I honestly couldn't follow a lot of what she was saying because it felt so random, but I remember her being oddly pleased with the way I cut my nails.

...I'm uncertain how deep the meaning was...

"Shirou, you shitty bastaraaaaaaard!"

"Go get some disease or something!"

"Scary. As expected of a beast. In the crucial moment just don't transfer the disease to Asia. Asia will be sullied."

I closed my eyes, clenching my fists as I noticed all of the other people who were gathering around the scene. "Everyone...who has gathered around here...you all have ten seconds to leave...If you aren't gone by then, I will personally, gladly, and THOROUGHLY, kick. Your. Asses." I opened my eyes, shooting all of them a demonic glare. "NOW!"

And, sure enough, the demonic aura that surrounded me was enough to scare all of them off except for my friends.

I was so pissed! These guys were making me look like some kind of sexual predator!...Right in front of Asia, too!

I was snapped out of it by a sudden tug at my sleeve. I turned and was surprised to see Sakura, smiling before she shot a glare at the others.

"Don't you dare insult Shirou-sama." She then pointed her finger at them dramatically. "As one of his lovers, I won't allow you to spit upon his name!"

There was a pause as everyone let that sink in...

[EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHH!?]

Asia stared at me with wide eyes. "W-What does she mean "ONE" of one of your lovers, Shirou-san?! H-Have you already given your chastity to another?!"

"H-Hai!" I was shocked to see Katase suddenly appear next to me, wrapping her arms around my left arm and squeezing it inbetween her bust. Murayama did the same with my other arm.

"W-We have first dibs on Shirou-sama! That's the agreement we made with Sakura-sama!"

Another pause.

[EEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHH!?]

"W-Wait a second, Sakura!" I shouted, blushing madly as I pointed at my serpent familiar. "Don't you-First off, we're going to talk about this later, we really are-Don't you think you should ask my PERMISSION before trying to recruit high school girls for a would-be harem?!" Not that I'm complaining per se, but I would appreciate it if she didn't completely ignore my thoughts while she recruited.

"Ah. So there is a sort of application process..." Xenovia noted with closed eye, nodding her head. She turned to Sakura. "May I also become one of Shirou-sama's lovers?"

YOU STAY OUT OF THIS!

"Hmmmmm..." Why are you seriously thinking about it, Sakura?! "OK~!" She replied with good cheer. She then raised her hand as if to say "...but". "As part of the contract that requires signing in order to enter the AOSFL-that's Alliance Of Shirou's Future Lovers-I am allowed first dibs on Shirou-sama."

Xenovia closed her eyes. After several minutes of thinking, she shook her head.

"I-"

BAM BAM BAM!

"Eh? Are you alright, Shirou-sama?"

By this point, I had started banging my head against my desk out of frustration.

BAM BAM BAM!

"I'm fine..." I said after several seconds. "...just...venting."

BAM BAM BAM!

Why is nobody listening to meeeeeeee!?

* * *

**Later...**

"U-Uhhh..ga...i..cha..."

I was literally lost for words. Just...what...WHAT THE HELL IS GOING OOOOOOON!?

"EEEEEEEEEEHHHHH!?" I jumped from my seat and pointed towards the front of the classroom in my English class. "WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!?"

Ah yes. I should probably explain why I am FREAKING OUT!

OK...so class starts somehow after all the ruckus caused by Xenovia and her lacking sense of normality...

And I thought I was the abnormal and tactless one.

Anyway, so class finally starts, parents of some of my classmates coming in every now and then.

The teacher, apparently pumped about today, decided to make our lesson unique by giving us PVC clay to mold into any shape we wanted.

I made badass and realistic-looking statuettes of Fate/Stay Night Servants. There was Lancer, Archer, Caster, Saber (although I don't give much of a fuck about her...I don't like Saber very much. Just don't.), Fake Assassin, TRUE Assassin, Rider (who is my favorite, tying with Lancer), and of course, the king of pricks himself, Gilgamesh. When some of my classmates saw my first statuette of Archer, they got excited and gave me their PVC clay to mold them into their own favorite FSN characters.

Wait wait. Off-topic. That's not the reason I'm so shocked.

It all REALLY started when-

SLIIIIIIIIIDE

The door to the classroom carefully slid open.

"Oh! I'm so very sorry for interrupting!" A disturbing voice apologized, disturbing because it was familiar and because I knew the person who owned the voice would never apologize in such a cute and polite way. "I arrived here a bit late today."

My eyes widened.

The young and (dare I say it) BEAUTIFUL woman who entered the room had well-groomed and silky-smooth-looking snow-white hair and gentle (it felt disturbing to describe them as such) blue eyes. She wore a white, somewhat frilly, and elegant-looking dress that somehow emphasized her bust and sandals. She placed a hand on the side of her face as she scanned the room. A light pink colored her cheeks.

Everyone's jaw dropped, admiring the strange and beautious creature that appeared before them. Most of the guys started drooling over her...

She blinked and bonked herself on the head, sticking out her tongue, a silly expression as if she had forgotten something.

"Oh yeah~" She said cheerfully. "My name's Makoto Fujimura~! It's very nice to meet all of you~!"

EEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHH!? ONEE-SAMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!?

That was when the air froze colder than ice with shock...

"...Fujimura...?"

"...white hair..."

"...is she...?

My classmates gradually put the pieces together as they turned to face me and my still shocked expression and then back to the gentle version of the creature that claimed to be my older sister.

They all quickly waved their hands in front of their faces, as if physically waving off any possible connection between me and Mako-nee.

"Neh. There's no way."

As I sat in my seat, I noticed two familiar and very hateful gazes pointed in my direction.

I turned to Motohama and Matsuda who were glaring daggers at me. At that point, a silent conversation went on between us. It went something like this:

Matsuda &amp; Motohama: BASTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARD! You made her sound like some kind of demon!

Me, sighing: She IS a demon! She's a demon in sheep's clothing right now! Do NOT trust her!

Motohama: LIAR! If you were anyone else, I would've expected you to have corrupted her as you did with all of the most beautiful girls in school!...Wait...You didn't-!?

Annoyed by his silent words, I picked up a book from my desk and chucked it at the idiot's head.

Matsuda simply shot me a suspicious look.

I chucked a book at his head too.

I shot both of them a glare: You're both idiots.

Makoto smiled and waved at me. "Hiiiiiiii, Shirou-chaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan~!" She walked over to me, causing me to shirk away, staring at her with suspicious eyes. "How's my favorite otouto doing today~?"

"Auuuuuu..." I narrowed my eyes at her. "Who are you and what have you done with the real Mako-nee?"

Mako-nee cocked her head to the side in cute confusion. "Eh? What do you mean, Shirou? Silly boy~"

I blinked. I grabbed her by the shoulders and started shaking her.

"WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH MAKO-NEEEEEE?!"

Mako-nee flinched away, staring at me with comically large, teary eyes.

"Why would you do that, Shirou...? That was so mean..." I admit that Mako-nee was a skilled actress. Even I would've fallen for those fake tears if I didn't know this was Mako-nee.

Everyone else wasn't me, though.

I could feel everyone's angry and hate-filled eyes on me, even some of the parents getting in on this.

"...what a horrible child..."

"...Making his own Onee-sama cry..."

"Die, Fuji-I mean...Die, Shirou..."

"You suck, Shirou..."

I received lots of comments like those from everyone around me.

"Don't fall for her bullshit!" I shouted at them. "She's a DEMON!" In more meanings of the word than one.

"Waaaah!" Mako-nee fake-cried. "Shirou-chan's so meeeeaaaaan~!"

"GO DIE, SHIROU!"

"YOU SUUUCK!"

"HOW COULD YOU MAKE YOUR BEAUTIFUL, GENTLE ONEE-SAMA CRY LIKE THAT?!"

A vein popped out on my forehead out of anger.

"SHUT UUUUUP! YOU GUYS MUST BE STUPIDER THAN YOU LOOK IF YOU FELL FOR THIIIIIS!"

"Really, how can you be so cold to Mako-nee, Shirou-san?" Asia stood up with her hands on her hips and a disappointed look on her face.

I felt as if an arrow had pierced my heart.

Auuuuuuuuu! Not you too, Asia! YOU of all people should know what Mako-nee's like!

THAT'S IIIIIIT!

I jabbed my index finger in the direction of my classmates.

"Wanna know what?!" I shouted. "I'll prove it to you assholes that my older sister is a wicked, cruel, abusive, and naturally violent witch! It'll take two words to knock away that fakeness of hers!"

Mako-nee smiled with that fake gentleness of hers. "How am I fake right now, Shirou~? I mean, it's not like I wanted to prove anything like prove to everyone or that I'm trying to earn points in terms of sex appeal or anything by increasing it with a fake gentle attitude or anything~" I could've sworn she was smirking.

I mirrored that smirk. "Like I said. It'll only take two words. You wanna know what those words are, Mako-nee?"

Mako-nee smiled. "Hm?"

I inhaled, pausing for several seconds.

"...Old. Hag." I stuck out my tongue and made a face for good measure.

There was a long, stunned silence as everyone else gaped at what I just did. Kiryuu, who KNEW what Mako-nee was like, was especially shocked.

I will die with no regrets, knowing I will have outed Mako-nee in front of everyone.

"YOU BRAAAAAAAAAAAT!"

I was met by the familiar sensation of Mako-nee's fist smashing into my face, sending me flying into the wall, busting right through and hitting the wall far in the back of the classroom next to us.

While I was indeed met by immense pain, I was honestly surprised I was still conscious.

"GRAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Then Mako-nee stomped me further into the ground with both of her feet.

I really shouldn't tempt fate like that.

"DIE, YOU MISERABLE BRAAAAT!" When Mako-nee attempted to stomp on me again, I grabbed her the legs and pulled with all of my strength, flipping her over.

Mako-nee grinned a bloodthirsty grin as she flipped backwards and got to her feet.

She cracked her knuckles upon regaining her balance. "Oh, so it looks like the brat wants to fight back..."

I raised my own fists. "You got that right. I'm not going down without a fight this time, you witch."

I don't know what happened next exactly...I mostly Mako-nee punching me in the face a couple times and me punching her back in blind fury.

Yep~ That's how me and Mako-nee show our love as siblings~

* * *

Me and Mako-nee walked through the halls of school from the principal's office...

What? Our fight had to stop at some point! And of course nobody was just going to ignore all of the property damage we caused!

We completely screwed up the schedules for the classes taking place in the seven classrooms we demolished in the end.

If I wasn't a servant of Rias Gremory and if Mako-nee wasn't my older sister, we would've been fucked.

"Hahahaha!" I couldn't help but laugh when all was said and done.

The thought just seemed funny to me!

"You got sent to the principal's office, Mako-nee!"

Mako-nee shot me a demonic glare. "SO!? YOU DID TOO!"

I stuck out my tongue. "Yeah, but I'M used to it cos I'm a no-good delinquent. It's what you get for losing your temper like that~"

"AND WHOSE FAULT DO YOU THINK IT WAS WE WERE IN THAT SITUATION IN THE FIRST PLAAAACE?!" Mako-nee screamed at me.

I stuck my tongue out at her again, not needing to justify myself.

[Kaccha Kaccha!]

I blinked as Mako-nee and I walked into a hallway that was filled with a disturbingly large number of people. They all had cameras and were taking pictures of something...or rather, someONE.

Curious, I moved closer to inspect the situation, Mako-nee following after me.

When I got to the front, I was finally able to get a good glance at the two figures who stood at the front.

The first one was a beautiful bishoujo with black hair tied in twin pony tails and violet eyes. Despite the fact that her body was somewhat child-like, her breasts were from such. That is to say, they were very large. Like her companion, she wore a magical girl outfit. However, hers was pink.

The other girl, I recognized.

"Haaaaai! Our fans want more, Sera-tan~!" The girl stated excitedly. "Alright then~! Pose~ Pose~ Pose~ Aaaaaand-Pose~!"

There was a large round of cheers from the guys who had gathered around the two girls.

She was a petite girl with blond hair and wearing a blue version of the magic girl outfit.

She was-

"K-Kiyoshi-chan?!"

The blue magical girl blinked several times before turning to me, smiling widely.

"Shirou-nii~! HIIIIIIIIIIII~!" The magical girl I had already met before, Kiyoshi, waved excitedly at me.

"Eh?" Mako-nee uttered in surprise. She stared at me, eyes widened. "S-Shirou...You KNOW him!?"

I frowned. "Yeah...?" I answered, confused. "I met Kiyoshi-chan before when...er..." Shit. I just realized that I didn't mention the fact that I had met members of the Angel and Fallen Angel Factions the night the Old Maou leaders tried to recruit/kidnap me.

"WHEN exactly, Shirou?" I jumped when I suddenly noticed Buchou's presence behind me, her hands on her hips and a frown on her face.

"A-Ah! B-Buchou!"

Luckily, I was saved from having to answer by the timely arrival of a familiar face-

"Hey hey! You, who's doing a photography shoot on a public path!"

While saying that, my friend from the student council, Saji came jumping through the crowd.

Girls who looked like members of the student council as well came following Saji towards the photography scene.

"Hey hey, disperse disperse! Today's the day for displaying classes to the public! Don't make a ruckus at this kind of place!"

Huh. I guess to anyone else, Saji had a lot of authority as a member of the Student Council...

The crowd gradually started to disperse, some of them snapping a few last-minute pics. They all eventually left entirely due to Saji's pushiness.

The remaining people were our group and Saji's group, and the cosplay girl.

"You too, please don't wear that kind of costume. Wait, would you be a parent perhaps? Even if that's the case, you know there's a dress code according to the place. This is troublesome."

"Eh, but this is my uniform " Was that a star I just at the end of that statement!?

"Yeah~!" Kiyoshi-chan agreed. "Don't be such a stick in the mud~! Me and Sera-tan were just entertaining our fans~!"

"Yeah! And-" The other magical girl whom Kiyoshi had called "Sera-tan" stopped mid-sentence, her eyes frozen on a certain person:...Me.

At first, I figured the first glance she shot at me when I appeared was coincidental, but then, when she got a good look at me, she stopped completely. She had turned a pale color as her cheer practically drained out of her. She looked as if she had seen a ghost.

Ooooh, why do I get a bad feeling all of a sudden?

A faint whisper escaped her lips. "...Sen...sei...?"

Eh?

Her lip started quivering as her eyes began to well up with tears.

"SENSEEEEEEEEEEEIIIIIIII!" Before I could understand what she just said, she stretched her arms and leapt at me in a surprise attack.

Acting on instinct, I ducked, causing the magical girl to fly right over me, hitting the ground face-first, sliding across the floor for several moments to a stop.

"Ouch." Mako-nee stated, flinching slightly as she probably imagined how a landing like that would feel.

"What's this? Saji, I always tell you to settle things concisely-" We all turned to see Sona-kaichou approaching us. As soon as she saw the pink magical girl, she stopped speaking. "...Before anything else...please remove yourself from such a compromising position, Onee-sama." Kaichou seemed to be referring to-Oh my Maou.

I hadn't been paying attention to it before due to shock, but now that Kaichou pointed it out, I realized that with the magical girl's face down on the floor and with her rear end sticking in the air like a dog, her frilly panties were perfectly exposed to any curious eyes...Not to mention...her wonderful, wonderful ass...

"...Shirou..." I began sweating bullets when I felt Buchou's angry gaze burning my back. "...why are you staring at Leviathan-sama with such lustful eyes...?"

"W-Well, I-" I then paused, my mouth wide open. "-Wait...What?"

W-What did Buchou just call that girl?

Buchou continued staring at me, as if trying to burn me with her eyes. "That person is Serafall Leviathan, one of the Yondai Maous. She is also Sona's Onee-sama."

I blinked. "Huh?" Normally, I would explode due to shock, but right now, I was mostly confused with as to how Sera-I mean-Leviathan-sama knows me.

"SENSEEEEEEEEEEEEEEIIIIIIIIII!"

SHIT!

I was so busy talking with Buchou that I failed to keep an eye on the downed Maou who had tried to glomp me earlier.

She glomped me, crushing me in a hug filled with strength one would expect of a Maou.

"I KNEW IT!" She exclaimed happily. "I knew it was a lie! I knew you couldn't really be gone!" She was crying while smiling.

Auuuuuu! Her smile is so cute! How do I break it to her gently that I'm not this person she refers to as "Sensei"?

"Aah, it's you, Serafall. So you came here as well."

It was then that I noticed Sirzechs-sama's presence, Grayfia-san along with him.

...Wait...Didn't Sirzechs-sama also called...Satan! Yeah! He called Satan "Sensei"...Not one Maou, but two now have called someone "Sensei"...Is Leviathan-sama also referring to Satan?

"Look, Sirzechs-chan! It's him! It's really him!" Leviathan-sama shouted with great joy, showing me to Sirzechs-sama. "I told you he couldn't be gone! Looky~!" Her tears were flowing down the sides of her face at a much faster rate. "I knew he was alive all along..." She fell into a somber silence and continued crying tears of joy.

There was a long and somewhat sad silence emanating from Sirzechs-sama as he lowered his head slightly.

"...Serafall...You are mistaken...Both of us saw him on his final day." Sirzechs-sama said with a sorrowful tone, as if remembering a particularly unhappy memory. "You know he's gone-"

"NO HE'S NOT! HE'S RIGHT HERE!" Even Kaichou stared wide-eyed at the sudden force with which her sister spoke. I now noticed the denial that existed in Leviathan-sama's voice. Like she was denying something painful.

"...But..." Sirzechs-sama looked like he was trying to figure out the best way to get through to Leviathan-sama.

"Sera-tan, are you okay?" Kiyoshi-chan asked Leviathan-sama, clearly worried. How an Angel and one of the Maou became close friends...my bet is they bonded through magical girls-related subjects.

Leviathan-sama turned to Kiyoshi-chan with large watering eyes. "Kiyo-chan, they're being mean! They don't believe that this is Satan-senseeeei!" Kiyoshi-chan backed away, hands raised as she was clearly unable to figure out how to respond to this.

"Erm...Leviathan-sama..." I realized that there was only one way to put an end to this. "I'm not Satan."

Leviathan-sama looked at the me who was still being crushed in her arms with a confused smile filled with denial. "What? No! You are! You have to be!"

It sounded more like "Please don't tell the truth! Let me believe this lie!"...

I shook my head. "My name's Fujimura Shirou. I DO possess Satan's blood as his descendant. I'm afraid that the person you wish me to be and the person I am are two different people, Leviathan-sama."

Leviathan-sama sniffed, like she was about to start crying again with renewed force.

"No...I..."

"It's the truth, Leviathan-sama." Mako-nee spoke up with a serious expression. "I, Relia Satan, am his descendant as well. While Satan's blood does still exist in this world, the King himself perished hundreds of years ago. Whatever delusion you cling to of his survival is a lie." I was somewhat surprised by how she called herself by her old name "Relia".

"...B-But..."

"...Serafall..." Sirzechs-sama spoke again, trying to keep his expression straight even though he himself was clearly experiencing sorrow and bitter memories. "...I, too, wish for Sensei's death to be a lie, but there's no denying it. Fooling yourself like this will only cause you more pain. Shirou-kun is not Sensei."

"A-Ah..." Leviathan-sama replied with a shaky voice. She released me and took a few steps back, keeping her gaze glued to the ground, specifically trying not to look at me.

"O-Onee-sama..." Even Kaichou seemed worried about Leviathan-sama.

Leviathan-sama looked up, as if just noticing Kaichou's presence. "A-Ah, So-tan...Sorry...You saw a really bad side of myself..." She then turned to me and bowed her head in apology. "Sorry...Shirou-chan...I...I think I need to be alone right now..."

Before any of us could react, Leviathan-sama summoned a magic circle and...Well...she used it.

She teleported out of the area immediately, the image of her tears being burned into my mind, somehow making me feel guilty for not being the person she wanted me to be.

It was a good thing all of the bystanders were gone. Even if they weren't, they still probably wouldn't be able to see stuff related to Devils.

I sighed. "OK...I'll ask the question I know we're all wondering: What. The. FUCK!?"

Kaichou adjusted her glasses. "...Despite Fujimura's coarse language, I, too, believe I deserve an explanation." She was also clearly shocked by Leviathan-sama's behavior. Judging from her previous behavior, I don't think that tears and screaming was a normal thing for Leviathan-sama. Maybe that's why Kaichou seems somewhat worried.

"That was certainly unsettling..." Mako-nee agreed.

"Onii-san..." Buchou began to question. "...Why did Serafall-sama act in such a way around Shirou?"

Sirzechs-sama closed his eyes, as if deciding whether or not he was going to explain. And if so, how much.

Eventually, he let out a sigh. "I'm sorry...but it's a long story with an unhappy ending...I'm afraid it is something that remains between the Maou."

Buchou frowned, but nodded, accepting her brother's decision. Then another question seemed to occur to her.

"But why did Serafall-sama call Satan "Sensei"?" The exact question I wanted answered! But I knew it would be no good.

Sirzechs-sama shook his head. "Like I said before, it remains between the Maou. End of discussion."

"But what-" Buchou tried.

"End of discussion."

"How abou-"

"End of discussion."

"But-"

"END. Of. Discussion."

Buchou frowned at Sirzechs-sama's strictness when it came to the subject.

"Mmmmm, what-"

"End of discussion, Rias. I'm not budging on this."

The two crimson-haired siblings stared determinedly at one another, both being too stubborn to give in.

For a brief moment, I thought this staredown would go on until the end of time...

As it turned out, it ended a few minutes later when Buchou let out a sigh, conceding defeat to her brother.

"Very well...I'm curious, but I'll stop..." And once her brother wasn't listening, she added, "for now."

...

And that really WAS the end of that.

"Now that that's settled," Sirzechs-sama turned to Mako-nee. "I don't believe you've met Otou-san, Makoto-san..."

And he trailed off...After all of that drama, such a normal statement felt awkward. Even Sirzechs-sama recognized that.

"So...erm..." Yep. The situation definitely became awkward.

"I...I think I'm gonna go now..." Kiyoshi-chan said, inching away from the scene. "This is starting to feel awkward~"

"It's not awkward!" I shouted, trying to keep Kiyoshi-chan from leaving us in even more awkward silence.

But Kiyoshi-chan didn't wanna hear any of it. Before I could argue further, she vanished in a flash.

Fuck...

We entered awkward silence once more.

"So...were you planning on introducing us to your Otou-san?" Makoto asked with hand gestures, trying to lead Sirzechs-sama into breaking the silence.

"Aha! Right right." Sirzechs-sama let out, clearly relieved. "It would be very polite to introduce Otou-!san to the woman who has been housing Rias. Let's go."

Mako-nee nodded. As we followed Sirzechs-sama, I walked next to Mako-nee and whispered to her.

"So...do YOU know what's up with the Maou in regards to Satan?" I asked, REEEEALLY curious about it now.

Mako-nee turned to me. After a few seconds, she shrugged. "I really have no idea."

Holy shit. Something even Mako-nee doesn't know. That means it HAS TO be juicy!

I won't stop searching for the truth until I get my answer to my question:

Just what connection did the current Maous have with Satan?!

* * *

**[Fujimura Residence]**

And of course I was still thinking about it even long after school had passed me by.

I lost focus on it for a while when we ended up watching video footage Buchou's Otou-san and Sirzechs-sama took during the classroom visits.

To be honest, I didn't expect Buchou's father to be so pleasant. I mean, he was kind of like Sirzechs-sama when he's acting casually. Apparently all of the people in the Gremory clan were just so kind and polite. I've heard that the Gremory's are affectionate and caring towards their servants, but apparently kindness is extended to everyone.

I made sure to keep Mako-nee away from the booze this time. No need to kill the opinion Buchou's Otou-san had of us. I mean...perhaps letting it slip that we're descended from Satan could've helped our standing, but I wanted to earn his approval the right way. To prove that I was worthy of his daughter.

Buchou's Otou-san, like most of the other Devils, still doesn't know that the blood of Satan exists, and we're going to try and keep it that way until the meeting between the leaders of the three factions decide to make a final decision.

...I admit it was adorable watching Buchou's reaction to the videos where she took all of them and then ran away out of embarrassment.

Buchou's usually so calm and collected that I forget she had this adorable side to herself too.

Of course I ran after her after she left, worried.

Found her sitting in front of my room, shedding tears of embarrassment.

So cuuuuuute~

"So...You...You wanna go in my room, Buchou?" I asked, doing my best to keep an awkward silence from forming again.

NO MORE AWKWARD SILENCES TODAY! I REFUSE!

"So far it looks like our family is getting along, eh?" I said, bringing up the first topic that came to mind.

After a small silence, Buchou looked up at me with a small smile. "...I know. I am happy that Mako-nee and my father are getting along." She paused again. "Hey, Shirou."

I blinked. "Hm?"

"Are you happy to have met me?"

What? Why are you asking me that all of a sudden, Buchou?...Oh Maou! Did I say something wrong?! Did I miss something disrespectful I said?!

Buchou stood up and gave me a look that could only be described as "loving". How much it meant, I wasn't sure.

"I am happy to have met you, Shirou. A life without you is impossible. Think of it as an honor. You hold a lot of space in my heart, you know?" She continued smiling as she held her hands to her chest.

I couldn't help but smile back.

"I am very honored, Buchou." Uncertain why my body was acting against my will, I grabbed Buchou's hands and held them gently, staring into her eyes. "I am happy to have met you, to have become a Devil who is loved by his friends rather than a human beast who was hated by everyone. You gave me that and so much more, Buchou...Even if I have no place in it, I will do whatever it takes to ensure you have a happy life and future. Even if you love another man, I will always lo-" I bit my tongue.

Wha-What was I about to saaaaaaaay?!

Buchou blinked once before staring at me in surprise, blushing slightly.

"Um...Shirou...W-What were you going to say just now...?"

FUUUUUUUUUUUCK! I've backed myself into a corner! I was just about to say "I will always love you" to Buchou! WHAT THE FUCK'S WRONG WITH MEEEEEE!? I was supposed to wait until I had the perfect way to become worthy of her, but I blew it!

Buchou leaned in, blushing even more deeply. "S-Shirou...what were you going to say?"

Gah! She asked again! I don't know how to answer!

...Should...Should I just go ahead and confess...? It's too late to back out now...Err...

"Eek! Could it be someone's beaten me for first place as Master's lover?!"

Both Buchou and I jumped at the sudden appearance of Sakura behind us.

"L-Lover?!" I turned beet red at Sakura's accusation. "W-Would you please stop it with that "lovers" stuff?!"

Sakura stared at me with intent. What kind of intent, I had no idea.

All I know is that Sakura was declaring Buchou as a rival.

"Mmmmmm...Fine. It's much better to work together anyway. I suppose, even with the addition of Xenovia, I could fit in just one more person into the alliance." Sakura pointed at Buchou. "So what do you say? You want to work together and we all share Shirou?"

Wait! When did I become an object?!

Buchou narrowed her eyes before she wrapped her arms around me, holding me tightly.

I blushed deeply at the sudden embrace.

"No. If he belongs to anyone, Shirou belongs to me and me alone." Buchou declared.

I felt myself blush even more deeply.

"Oho! A declaration of war, eh, Buchou?" Sakura asked, a sudden rival-like animosity forming between the two.

I admit I felt somewhat happy when Buchou claimed ownership over me...even if I wasn't her boyfriend, I was happy being her hug toy when we sleep together. Just being near her was good enough for me if I could never win her heart.

"Ha." Buchou said with a smirk on her face. "A war would make one believe that both sides stood equal chance. I've already had intimate skinship with my Shirou."

Sakura clicked her tongue. "Pfft. As if that means much. I could easily have had skinship with Master at any time while you're not around. Maybe I already did."

Oh, please don't say such misleading things, Sakuraaaaaa!

Buchou turned a slight pink. "O-Oh yeah?! W-Well, I've kissed Shirou too! How about that?"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Yeah. ONCE. Once doesn't mean anything. That was more of a thank-you kiss from you to him."

Oh, pleeeeeaaaase drop this subject, Sakura. I can only tell it'll get worse from here.

Buchou turned even redder out of a mix of embarrassment and anger.

"Oh yeah? How about this?" Before I could react, Buchou grabbed me by the shoulders and pressed her lips against mine. My face turned a red shade that matched hers.

I...I was kissing Buchou! AGAIN!

Eventually, her kiss stopped being so rough as Buchou stopped doing so for the silly reason it began.

She wrapped her arms around me again as she deepened our kiss, inserting-

I-Is that her tongue?!

Despite being shocked, I eventually overcame my surprise and returned the kiss.

Even if it was to prove superiority over another girl, I wasn't complaining about Buchou kissing me out of the blue.

B-Buchou's kisses are nice...

"..." Sakura let out a growl of annoyance. "Very well then, Buchou! This means war!"

And...I don't really remember what came after that.

I only remember my embrace with Buchou being broken up when Asia arrived, pinching the back of my neck for some reason I couldn't figure out.

All of the blood that allowed my ears to work kind flowed into my face, so I don't remember listening to much that was said...

I just remember Sirzechs-sama appearing at some point, informing Buchou about an important issue.

It was time to release the new [Bishop].

**Once again, I apologize for the long wait time...I've just...had NO inspiration for this. This did not turn out as well as I had hoped it would, but decided a half-baked chapter was better than no chapter at all. At least it advanced the plot somewhat.**

**In case you missed it at the top:**

**I've been having some misgivings about all of the OC's I've added and about Blade Genesis...**

**I've been considering rewriting Devil Reborn and instead giving Shirou Boosted Gear. I mean, just because it's an OC protagonist doesn't mean he has to have an OC Sacred Gear.**

**What do you guys think? Please respond via review or PM...although, I suppose those are the only two ways TO respond.**

**The plot will be a bit more fixed up with less OC's. Maybe a more perverted and romantically aggressive Shirou (as in, he won't be a total pansy when it comes to girls. He won't be the bonehead protagonist who can't see the heroine's love even when it's so obvious).**

**Thanks for the reads and reviews~!**

**Bye-Bye~!**


	26. FINAL DECISION!

**OK...It's been three hours and just about eighteen people have already given me responses either through reviews or PMs.**

**...Every single one of them has voted in favor of a rewrite...I was one of them.**

**Soooooooo, I may as well make the final call now since I doubt that the point of view of everyone is going to change...**

**Soooooo~ It appears that the Devil Reborn rewrite is settled~!**

**I plan on changing several things, two of them being the fact that Shirou will actually become more confident and determined (in other words, NOT A PANSY) in his romantic pursuits and will have a legit Sacred Gear.**

**Another thing that I'm adding in just to in there just to make things interesting~**

**You see, I've put up one of two polls I plan on putting up, the question:**

**What Faction would you like to see Shirou join? Devils, Fallen Angels, or Angels?**

**The poll is up as of now~! Once at least fifteen people have responded to that poll, I will post the next poll~!**

**Please be sure to voooooooote~!**

**Sincerely,**

**bamafelix-sama~**

**PS: I finally decided to watch the third and fourth story arcs of the anime now that it's out in dub...**

**Serafall's so adowable~! She was adowable in the light novels, but seeing her all cute and stuff in the anime makes her seem even MORE adowable~!**

**PPS: I also forgot to tack this on. While I will be rewriting, I have no intentions of deleting THIS version of Devil Reborn in case I ever desire to return to it or use it as a reference. So it will be safe to read and reread to your hearts' content.  
**


	27. POLL RESULTS AND ANOTHER POLL!

**Wow...To be honest, I didn't expect to reach FIFTEEN votes so soon let alone TWENTY...so yeah. It's decided...I may be calling it prematurely...but the results are as follows for the poll:**

**Devils: 11**

**Fallen Angels: 6**

**Angels: 3 (Apparently nobody likes an Angel Protagonist :P)**

**I somewhat want to keep the poll running until tomorrow to see if Fallen Angels can pull a from-the-behind victory, but I DID say it was until fifteen people voted...and twenty voted...So it's done**

**The Winner: The Devils.**

**So Shirou will become a Devil again...**

**Now for the next poll~ This one decides what Peerage Shirou will join. The choices are as follows:  
**

**Rias Gremory**

**Sona Sitri**

**Serafall Leviathan**

**Ravel Phenex (HA! Bet you didn't see THAT coming, did you?)**

**...I considered Sairaorg as an option, but I don't think there's enough on his Peerage to write character interactions really and I don't feel like changing things later...**

**The poll is up as of now~! Once at least fifteen people have responded to that poll, I will post the next poll~!**

**Please be sure to voooooooote~!**

**Sincerely,**

**bamafelix-sama~**

**PS: I really did consider Sairaorg. I really did!...I just don't think I could pull it off. Sairaorg's a badass but I don't think I could do him or his Peerage any justice...Man, I almost cried THREE times in Volume 10... I mean... With Gasper being a badass, Issei being a badass, and then the big confession (FINALLY), I just couldn't help myself... I just...I just had to let it out, man!**


	28. FINAL POLL!

**Alright! Fifteen have voted! The poll is done!**

**The results are as follows:**

**Serafall Leviathan: 9**

**Ravel Phenex: 6**

**Rias Gremory: 5**

**Sona Sitri: 3**

**The winner iiiiiiiis: Serafall Leviathan~! Hooray for Levi-tan~! So yep~! Shirou will be a member of Levi-tan's Peerage~! **

**Now for the next and final poll~! This one is to decide what Sacred Gear Shirou will wield~! The choices are as follows:  
**

**Boosted Gear**

**Divine Dividing**

**Annihilation Maker**

**Absorption Line**

**Blaze Black Flare**

**Delete Field**

**Shadow Prison**

**Blade Blacksmith**

**Sword Birth**

**Twice Critical (Most likely a sub-species)**

**Variant Detonation (POSSIBLY a sub-species)**

**Gravity Jail**

**Of course, for this poll, you will be given multiple votes~!**

**The poll is up as of now~! Once at least fifteen people have responded to that poll, I will post the next poll~!**

**Please be sure to voooooooote~!**

**Sincerely,**

**bamafelix-sama~**


	29. FINAL POLL COMPLETE!

**OK~! THE FINAL POLL IS OVEEEEEEEEER!**

**The final choice for Devil Reborn Reboot (Not the official name) is decided!**

**The winner of the poll deciding Shirou's Sacred Gear Iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis: Divine Dividing!**

**...Nope. That's it.**

**Due to the polls, in the rewrite, Shirou shall be:**

**A Devil**

**The servant of Serafall Leviathan**

**The possessor of the White Dragon Emperor's Light Wings, Divine Dividing**

**And so...yeah. That's it. The final decision is made.**

**Thank you all for voting~!**

**Sincerely,**

**bamafelix-sama~**


	30. REWRITE IS POSTED!

**And it's done! After a few weeks of writing and a few days inbetween of depression caused by watching the saddest video ever, Devil Reborn: Reboot (accepting suggestions for better name) is done!  
**

**I've posted the rewrite of Devil Reborn! It is up and running!**

**Sincerely,**

**bamafelix-sama~**


	31. RESURRECTIONPOLL OF ULTIMATE CHOICES!

**Hello. I know it's been a long time since I ever truly mentioned something related to Devil Reborn because I've been so focused on its remake: Vanishing Dragon of Leviathan, but after careful consideration, I've decided to resurrect its predecessor, but restart from scratch...**

**Also, I'm kind of considering changing Shirou's bloodline...I mean, we've been through the "Satan Descendant" route twice now and I'm sure many of us are loathe to repeat the same exact events as before. While it's not the main point of this message, I will hear your suggestions on what bloodline or species he should have prior to Devilisation...prior to being Devilized...prior to being made a Reincarnated Devil.**

**The main point of this message is: I'm not sure whether I should do Protagonist-Replacement or just OC-insert. I have plans for either, but I'm torn.**

**So I've decided to invoke THE POWER OF DEMOCRACY! (Cue epic music)**

**I've created and posted a poll to decide**

**It's up to you guys to decide if I will insert Shirou as a second protagonist and friend/rival/frenemy of Issei or just replace Issei entirely.**

**Note: This will be the REAL Shirou's personality from Devil Reborn, not the angsty monstrosity I made him in Vanishing Dragon of Leviathan. This is delinquent, sometimes-tsundere Shirou who is actually a nice guy, not the sometimes-douchey, always-depressed Shirou from Vanishing Dragon.**

**Coz as I've said: I'M RESURRECTING THE REAL DEVIL REBORN!**

**For those of you who've been begging for the story to live again, it is time to rejoice (unless of course you were 100% set on Satan bloodline, in which case I apologize but I'm kind of...iffy on that).**

**Sincerely,**

**Shirou Fujimura**

**(Formerly bamafelix)**


	32. DEVIL REBORN REDUX IS UP!

**Good news! Devil Reborn Redux is officially up! Please go take a look!**


End file.
